11 Sorting Things Out
by Daintress
Summary: Remus stood up from where he and Molly sat at the kitchen table when the front door creaked open. They weren't expecting anyone. The portrait in the hallway began her diatribe, and then, suddenly was silenced by a soft voice. Hello Mum. Complete AU since
1. Introduction

Introduction September 2006  
  
When the Sorting had finished and Professor McGonagal was lifting the hat and stool to exit the hall, the students and teachers gave an astonished gasp. Under the hat, there appeared a petite, brunette woman in muggle clothing. Professor Dumbledore stood up, but only the rather bemused woman took any notice of him until he spoke. Everyone else's eyes were on her. "Welcome. To what do we owe this honor?" His eyes were kind, but there was no hiding the surprise in his voice.  
  
"It appears that I have been pulled out of the sorting hat, Professor," she replied in a distinctly American accent, "to be your new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher." At this remarkable announcement, Harry turned to Ron amid whispers from the other students, but jerked his head back around at the sound of Snape pushing back his chair. They watched as he threw his napkin onto the table and turned to stomp out.  
  
"Severus?" the woman whispered, stepping backward in surprise. Snape paused briefly, then continued out, letting the door slam behind him. There was an uncomfortable silence, which only ended when Professor Dumbledore sat down unceremoniously and said, "Well, Tuck In!" as the new Professor exited in haste through the nearest door.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged a meaningful look before dashing out of the hall to fetch the invisibility cloak, but found, as they mounted the second staircase, that they didn't need it. "Severus, please stop walking for just a moment!" When there was no answer, she muttered, "Impedimenta." Snape's footsteps ceased.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up at the next landing to see her walking around to face Snape, whose expression, to their surprise, showed not anger, but resignation. Feeling suddenly as though this was not a scene they ought to be witnessing, they looked sideways at one another before starting back downstairs. As they walked, however, a powerful feeling swept over them. From above, they heard her whisper, "When you can move, join me for tea in your office." There was a hint of amusement behind these words, but the trio didn't catch it, as they were already running back down the stairs at top speed.  
  
"What was that?" Harry breathed as they stumbled back into the Great Hall. He was holding the front of his robes so tightly that they crinkled.  
  
"Don't know," said Ron, "but it nearly knocked me down!" They both looked at Hermione, who was visibly shaken.  
  
"It felt like love," Hermione whispered, in disbelief. 


	2. Chapter 1 Reunited

Chapter 1 ~ Reunited  
  
The tension was so thick he could taste it. What could he say to her? He couldn't tell her about Black, she would take it worse coming from him than from anyone else. He stood in the doorway of his own office as she sat in his chair, looking over his notes for tomorrow's lessons with an amused smile on her face. Finally she looked up and noticed him.  
  
"You teach the Slytherins and Gryffindors together?" she asked quietly. He grimaced, but felt relieved. This at least was familiar territory.  
  
"It gives me a chance to prove what an evil git I really am," he replied, glowering menacingly. She smiled at him, but his expression didn't change, and her smile faltered quickly.  
  
"You're wearing your school mask, Sev. There's no one here to intimidate. Smile." It was a direct order, and she gave it with all the authority of a lifetime friend. He smiled. It felt foreign, until she returned it and jumped out of the chair to throw her arms around his neck. Then it felt like the right expression entirely.  
  
"Do you know how long I looked for you?" he whispered, squeezing her tightly. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"It wasn't your fault. I made the choice, and it was the right one. Papa would have sacrificed you to protect himself. You had the mark, so they would have handed you over to the dementors. You might never have made it to Azkaban. I couldn't let that happen. But how did you get a job here? Even with Riddle gone, I can't believe Dumbledore would – "  
  
He cut her off, pulling away to look at her. "Riddle's not gone, Mur. And Dumbledore has me teaching here because I'm spying for the Order."  
  
Her mouth fell open and she let him go abruptly, taking a few steps backward. He waited as she swallowed hard and looked away. Finally she turned back around. "You went to Dumbledore that night, then, before James and Lily – "  
  
She didn't finish. It had been just over 15 years, and it was still hard to admit that they were dead. Severus nodded, parking himself on one of the student desks as she fell heavily back into his chair. They were awfully close to the topic he hoped to avoid.  
  
"Where've you been, Mur?" he asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Papa shipped me off to America to catch dark wizards." Muriel looked up in time to see Severus' eyes widen. He had looked all over that blasted country!  
  
But she misunderstood. "I've caught over 200 in the last 15 years. Only had to kill 32." She smiled grimly as he shook his head. Apparently there were a lot of dark wizards in America. But he had always known she would be a good Auror. There had never been any question.  
  
It was nearly two in the morning when their conversation was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore. Naturally, when he had seen their reaction to one another in the hall, he had determined whom the sorting hat had brought.  
  
"Professors?" he inquired as he pushed the door open slowly. "I was wondering if I might have a word with you?" Severus and Muriel looked up. Mur scowled. She had never much liked Dumbledore, but what Sev had just told her about how the man had helped him made her rethink her expression. She carefully fixed a blank look on her face as Severus answered.  
  
"Of course, Headmaster."  
  
"Welcome back, Professor Deesia. It has been too long." He looked at her with his twinkling eyes over the spectacles she remembered so well. It seemed he was willing to accept the Sorting Hat's wisdom and hire her.  
  
"Thank you," she answered stiffly, shaking his outstretched hand.  
  
"I believe that before the term begins we should discuss Mr. Potter's extracurricular studies." He paused, looking pointedly at Severus, who looked away.  
  
"James and Lily's son?" Mur asked quietly.  
  
"Looks just like James," Dumbledore replied, nodding as Mur's eyes filled with tears. She and James had never quite gotten close, but Lily had been a very good friend. Being back at Hogwarts brought the pain so much nearer.  
  
"I believe that it would be in everyone's best interests for the boy to learn Occlumency, since he seems to have a strong mental connection to Voldemort."  
  
"Riddle," Muriel corrected, before he could continue. Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, and even Severus turned to look at her, though he had hoped to stay out of this conversation entirely. "Scum like him don't get the honor of choosing their own name. He's a mud blood. He can deny it all he wants, but he will always be the one thing he detests the most, and I for one will take every opportunity to remind him of it."  
  
Both men stared at her for a moment. She wasn't angry, or upset. She just stated facts. Dumbledore smiled. Obviously Muriel Deesia had changed very little.  
  
It was decided in short order that she would take over the Occlumency lessons, so that Severus wouldn't have to. Then Dumbledore left. By the time she hugged Severus again and said goodnight, it was nearly four AM, and she was starting to wonder how she was going to stay awake through her lessons tomorrow. 


	3. Chapter 2 Finding Out The Hard Way

Chapter 2 ~ Finding Out The Hard Way  
  
"Good morning class."  
  
"Good morning Professor Deesia," the class intoned. Professor Deesia glanced up with a look on her face that was at once amused and revolted. "That," she said, matter-of-factly, "will be Umbridge's influence. Please refrain from doing that ever again." Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown giggled.  
  
"Let's see, you've had several teachers in this class, I believe. Professor Lupin would surely have gone over most of the dark creatures with you. Crouch would have taught you all the things you need to know that I am not allowed to teach, and Lockhart? Well, perhaps he will be of some help to you this year, even if he was useless as a teacher."  
  
Professor Deesia stopped at Draco Malfoy's desk, and looked down at the book he'd just brought out. "Most unsuitable," she said, suddenly humorless. "We will use these instead." She flicked her wand almost carelessly and the book covers all changed. Gilderoy Lockhart was now seen blinking stupidly up from each desk. The class groaned. "Read the title, please, before you pass judgment." She replied mildly.  
  
Seamus Finnegan read aloud, "How it was really done: The True Heroes of Lockhart's Stories by Muriel Deesia."  
  
"Mr. Potter, you may add this to the list of books you are already in," Professor Deesia said as a smile played around the corners of her lips. "Mr. Weasley, I believe you will want an extra copy, as it is your debut." She flicked her wand again, and another copy appeared in front of Ron as the class tittered appreciatively. Ron grinned as he looked from the books in front of him to Hermione's proud expression and back again.  
  
Malfoy scowled back at Harry and Ron, as Professor Deesia waved her wand in the direction of her desk, and scrolls came whizzing through the air to land in front of each student. She was pleased to notice that Malfoy was so interested in the scroll that he forgot whatever rude thing he'd been about to say. She heard him whisper, "Wow," and was pleased to see him bend over his scroll immediately.  
  
"One of my better enchantments, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked kindly. The rest of the class looked puzzled, but he was nodding. "Perhaps you can explain it to us, since you figured it out so quickly." She smiled at him, and he smiled back.  
  
"It's a test paper that reads your thoughts and writes what you know about each question for you." He held his up. "See, mine is finished. If you want to know what someone knows, this is the way to do it. I haven't even read all these questions yet!" His voice was as close to awe as Harry had ever heard it. Looking down, he saw that his paper was complete as well.  
  
"Excellent, Mr. Malfoy, 20 points to Slytherin. Pity we won't be using these for your finals, unfortunately we must also test your ability to access the information you learn. Now then," she said, summoning the scrolls back to her desk. They landed neatly in an open desk drawer, which closed with a click. "This evening, please read the first 2 chapters in your text book. For now, though, you may put your books away and pull out your wands." The class whispered excitedly, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other as they reached down for their bags.  
  
Harry, digging for his wand, pushed aside the knife Sirius had given to him, and his grin faded. Looking up, he saw that Ron's grin had also left his face, though for a different reason. Harry followed his gaze to see that Professor Deesia had stepped backward and was leaning heavily against the blackboard. Her face was flushed red as she stared at Harry with a look of horror.  
  
"Oh no," Harry thought, looking wildly for an escape route, "not another teacher predicting my death!" Professor Deesia was breathing shallowly, but was able to gasp, "Class Dismissed," weakly. No one moved.  
  
At that moment, to everyone's surprise, Professor Snape appeared in the doorway. "Class Dismissed," he hissed, nearly as softly as she had, but with better effect, as the entire class left the room almost instantly.  
  
As they made their way through the hallway, a single voice rang out. "How could you not tell me?" It was Professor Deesia, and from the sound of it she was extremely angry.  
  
"What was that all about?" Ron asked Hermione as they walked down the hall. She shook her head. They now had a quarter of a lesson period free to contemplate the strange illness of what looked to be their best Defense against the Dark Arts teacher yet. They felt strangely sad, and wandered aimlessly in the general direction of Hagrid's cabin. Around them, other students were also walking with their heads down. Outside the front door, two girls were crying quietly together.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
"Surely you are aware of why I would not speak of it last night." Snape said, exasperation tingeing his voice.  
  
"But to let me find it out from the boy!" She exclaimed in reply.  
  
"Muriel, please. You know now, isn't that enough?" He turned away. Muriel hesitated only a moment before she hurried toward the door. Snape glared angrily at the blackboard. "Will you go to see Lupin, I suppose?" he shot fiercely at the door as she passed through it. She didn't answer, but instead made her way down to the grounds, looking for Harry Potter. She had promised the headmaster that she would speak with him.  
  
"Mr. Potter," she called, in the happiest voice she could muster, "If you have a moment, would you see me in my office?"  
  
Ron and Hermione looked anywhere but at Harry as he muttered, "See you later," and followed Professor Deesia back into the castle. He was pretty sure he wasn't in trouble for anything, since term had just begun. When they reached her office, he was surprised to see that it was entirely empty. Professor Deesia smiled apologetically, "The sorting hat didn't give me time to pack. In fact, it didn't give me any warning at all. I was simply whisked all the way from Massachusetts to here. It explained my new position to me on the way. It turns out," she added, almost as an afterthought, "that I am not here just to be the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, but also to teach you Occlumency. I understand that your previous teacher was," here she paused, as though making up her mind, "unable to continue in that regard." She finished, rather quickly, with a look out the open office door.  
  
Harry's heart fell. Of all the things he thought she might want to discuss with him, this was the least welcome. She seemed to sense this, because she smiled a tight smile at him and went on. "Don't worry. There will be no set time for our lessons. You will have plenty of time to study for your classes and even to play Quidditch."  
  
He looked up, confused. "But if we don't have a time to practice - " He trailed off uncertainly, and she explained.  
  
"Do you recall the best lesson the imposter of Moody taught you?" She frowned slightly, and then continued, though not loudly, "Constant vigilance, Mr. Potter, that is what I will require of you. You have surely noticed that I myself am not excellent at hiding my emotions." Harry nodded, his eyes widening somewhat. "Let me assure you that I am more than sufficient at hiding my actual thoughts."  
  
"I was brought here for two reasons. Firstly to teach you to defend yourself against intrusions of the mind, and secondly, to perform the task of watching Riddle's mind - an ability which proved helpful, I believe, in the case of Mr. Weasley." Harry wondered fleetingly how she could know so much of what was going on, before remembering the whispered conversation he'd overheard on the stairs the night before.  
  
"Ah, Professor Snape mentioned to me that you were well known for finding out such things." She startled him, and he glanced up in horror. "Yes, I expect that he did tell you that the mind is too complex to be read like a book," she said, responding to the first thought that had jumped into his head. "I am an anomaly because even without a spell, I can generally tell what people are thinking as they are thinking it. I must actually perform the spell, however, when the person is out of my eyesight. That, I think, is how you and I will practice. I will choose times randomly throughout each day to test your ability to throw me out of your mind. I will use the same means that Professor Snape did, however, in my case, you might actually be kissing Cho Chang when I choose to test you." Her gray eyes twinkled mischievously as Harry turned a shocking shade of scarlet.  
  
"We will evaluate your progress weekly, following our Defense against the Dark Arts classes," she said. "And we will review whatever you have already read, and see about providing you with some of my father's books, if Professor Snape has not done so already."  
  
"Books? There are books about Occlumency?" Harry looked confused. Professor Snape had never given him anything to read.  
  
Muriel was silent. Was it possible that Severus hadn't given the child a single book to learn from before he started casting spells on him? "YES, books. Go to the library," she jotted her signature quickly on a slip of parchment and handed it to him. "Take out every book in every section that even MENTIONS Occlumency or Legilimency. Read them all. We'll base your final this year on those books."  
  
She stifled a sigh as he looked at her, wide eyed, and took the parchment. As if the boy didn't hate Severus enough already! She gathered her things.  
  
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I only have a few days left to visit with an old friend before he 'leaves town'." She winked at Harry, and left, throwing a black, fitted jacket with what looked like tails, over her obviously muggle outfit of jeans and a tee shirt. Harry peaked out the doorway in time to see her receive a little note from Professor Dumbledore. He was sure it was the address to Grimmauld Place, but pushed it from his mind. He didn't want to think about Sirius just now. He was going to be taking Occlumency lessons again, and NOT with Professor Snape! 


	4. Chapter 3 Old Friends And New Tales

Chapter 3 ~ Old Friends and New Tales  
  
Remus Lupin looked up from where he and Molly Weasley sat at the kitchen table as the front door opened. They weren't expecting anyone. Both stood and pulled out their wands. They started as the portrait in the hallway began her diatribe, and then, suddenly, was silenced by a soft voice.  
  
"Hello mum." The woman in the portrait looked around warily, but as she couldn't see any of the usual blood traitors and mudbloods, she had fallen silent. Then she said, in the only kindly voice Remus and Molly had ever heard her use, "Muriel, dear, is that you? Back from America after all this time?"  
  
Remus' wand dropped and he dashed into the hallway. The portrait of Mrs. Black began screaming immediately, but fell to the floor in the wash of excited happiness that ran through the house as Remus hugged his old friend. "Muriel, how can you be here? But," he added, his happiness waning as hers did, "then, you already know," he stammered this last out as Muriel began crying.  
  
He held her as best he could as Molly entered the hallway, confused. Remus introduced them, and led Muriel to the kitchen. They sat together as Molly made tea. "How did it happen, Remus?" She asked, finally lifting her head from the table. He recounted for her the entire story of the previous two- year's adventures. She gasped at the finding of Wormtail, and gave him a reproving look, though he tried valiantly to keep the anger out of his voice as he described Snape's hand in it all. When he finished the tale of the final duel against Bellatrix, Muriel's eyes seemed to clear. "A stunning spell? You're sure?"  
  
"Definitely. They were the only two still dueling."  
  
"And then he fell through the archway?" Her brain was ticking behind her eyes and Remus looked worried.  
  
"What about you?" he asked quickly. "You disappeared without a trace and no one would tell us anything. Sirius was," he paused, glancing at Mrs. Weasley, "well, we were all really upset." He finished quietly.  
  
" I suppose I should explain that. Well, you know that I got a job as an Auror after only an extra year of studying. And you probably remember that Severus still wasn't speaking to me, and it wasn't just that, he was blocking me from reading him, too." At this, Mrs. Weasley looked a little confused, but after a warning glance from Remus she chose not to interrupt.  
  
"I caught my first Death Eater about two months after the Potter's wedding. I hadn't even been working, I'd left the hospital - my aunt was very ill, then. I saw him follow a muggle down an alley. When he raised his wand, I stunned him. The muggle ran and I went to see whom it was. It was Severus." She stopped speaking, looking at the table.  
  
"Oh no," Remus said, quietly. He was shaking his head.  
  
"I let him go, Remus. My father saw the whole thing. I didn't even know that he ever visited my aunt, but he must have been heading to the hospital himself." She paused, then continued quickly. "You know how he was - people were already suspicious of him, he couldn't have the whole Ministry finding out that I'd let Severus go, so he did the only logical thing he could do." Her voice was bitter. "He sent me to America to round up anyone that Voldemort had sent to try and recruit new Death Eaters. I left that night. I tried to come home, but the Floo network was being watched. They wouldn't let me or my letters through. I didn't find out about the Potters, and Sirius until months after it happened." She fell silent, then, in a rather breathless tone of voice, asked, "This archway, could you hear whispering coming from it?"  
  
Molly had kept her peace throughout all these stories, but at this question she broke her silence. "I hope you aren't considering anything drastic, Muriel," she said, and instantly regretted it.  
  
The woman turned to her and there was in her eyes the same wildness that had been in Sirius' when he'd been stuck in the house for too long, unable to serve the Order. "Remus, Molly, thank you for the tea," she said abruptly. She was gone before either of them knew what to say. As the front door slammed shut, Remus picked up the portrait of Sirius' mother and rolled it carefully, setting the frame aside. 


	5. Chapter 4 Innocence Proven

Chapter 4 ~ Innocence Proven  
  
The Aurors' office was full of people when she arrived, Wormtail floating behind her, wrapped so tightly in invisible cords that the skin of his arms bulged in odd patterns. The room fell silent when she appeared, which wasn't surprising, since no one was really sure whether they should arrest Wormtail, or Muriel herself. In the back of the room, someone apparated instantly to Fudge's office, and reappeared with him a moment later. Still no one spoke. Finally she said, "Good to see you all again too. I understand there is work enough to be had here, but I've got my own job. This, however," she gestured to Wormtail, "was personal. You will notice who this is, of course." She waved her wand, and Wormtail fell to the floor. Several of the Aurors gasped.  
  
"It will not take you long to conclude, as I did, that if Peter is alive, then Sirius was innocent. Here is the man who murdered all those muggles." The office exploded into a great deal of noise at once, so that she had to shout over the excited ministry workers to be heard. "He's an animagus, you know." This declaration brought about silence again, allowing her to explain that he was held now in binds that would constrict to the size of whatever they were binding, even if he should become a rat again. The Aurors looked at her appreciatively, but still said no words of welcome. At last, Fudge stepped forward, formalizing her return to the cheers of the others by saying, simply, "Welcome back, Deesia."  
  
Muriel released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. The other Aurors, freed from constraint by Fudge's acceptance of her, crowded around her, asking her about her life since she'd left. But she had only enough time to explain that the sorting hat had brought her, and that she had another task to perform before she could be free to come back to visit with them.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
It was finally Friday, the end of the first week of term. Owl post had arrived, and Ron and Harry were looking through a catalog from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes when Hermione gave an audible gasp and looked up at Harry through glistening eyes. "Look at this!" she exclaimed.  
  
First Death Eater caught since return of You-Know-Who  
  
"The Ministry is happy to announce that one of our Aurors has  
  
successfully apprehended Death Eater Peter Pettigrew," said  
  
Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Thought to have been  
  
killed shortly after Lord – er - Thingy's overthrow, Pettigrew's  
  
arrest, and subsequent trial have, in fact, proven that it  
  
was he who was responsible for the single curse, which killed  
  
twelve muggles. This has cast the escape of Sirius Black in  
  
a new light. It appears that his goal, according to  
  
Pettigrew, was to find and kill him, rather than Harry  
  
Potter, whom the Ministry had assumed would be Black's  
  
target. The Ministry has issued a complete pardon to Mr.  
  
Black, and the dementors who remain in our service have  
  
agreed not to harm him.  
  
Harry finished reading and passed the paper silently to Ron. When he had read it, he looked up and caught Harry's eye. He opened his mouth, but closed it again at the look Hermione was giving him, over Harry's shoulder. They finished breakfast in silence, each of them marveling at the unfairness of it all. As they got up to leave, they heard Collin chatting with Ginny, "Not that I'm complaining, but I wonder what ever happened to Peeves? I haven't seen him all week."  
  
"And he's not all," Ginny replied, gesturing around the Great Hall, "all the house ghosts are gone too!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione puzzled over this on their way to Hagrid's cabin for the Magical Creatures lesson. "Do you know, we haven't seen Professor Deesia all week either," Harry said suddenly. They stopped short at the sight of Malfoy's antics up ahead. He appeared to be doing a fair impression of someone being stunned and falling backward. Hermione and Ron each grabbed one of Harry's arms and steered him away before he had any chance to get at Malfoy. Harry was seething. When he was finally able to shake them off, he left. Hagrid had arrived, and looked as though he might call him back to class when he caught sight of Hermione shaking her head violently at him. He decided to hold class without him and ask Hermione about it later.  
  
As he mounted the stairs, Harry ran into the one person that he did NOT want to meet while he was obviously skiving off class. Professor Snape's eyes rested on him only briefly before he continued on his way, not stopping even to take points from Gryffindor for Harry's infraction. 


	6. Chapter 5 Found

Chapter 5 ~ Found  
  
"Mur?" Remus was on the first landing, looking up at his old friend as she cast spells on a door that had been unused for as long as he'd lived at 12 Grimmauld Place. She looked frustrated.  
  
"Do you know what he did to this?" she asked, slumping against the opposite wall. She watched him trot up the remaining steps.  
  
"He told us this room was off-limits," Remus admitted, already piecing together why that might be the case.  
  
Muriel's emotions got the better of her. Sirius still hadn't woken, and she had no idea if he ever would, but right now, she just wanted a place to rest. She threw herself at the door. It didn't budge. "But this is MY room!" She pounded on it again. "Damn it, let me in!"  
  
Remus gasped when the door opened and unceremoniously dumped her on the floor. "That's nice, he charmed it so only I could – " She stopped speaking abruptly as her eyes scanned the room. The window was covered in plywood, and the bed had been overturned. Glass littered the floor where the painter's mirror had been smashed. The robes Mrs. Black had instructed the house elves to provide, which she'd left behind upon returning to school, had been shredded, and now lay in a multi-colored heap beside the wardrobe. The wardrobe itself was missing a door.  
  
Remus followed her inside and his mouth fell open. He should have known better than to let her see this.  
  
"He hates me, Moony," she whispered. He watched her pull her knees up to her chest and quickly knelt beside her.  
  
"Don't Mur, he doesn't hate you. He was just angry." He hadn't been there when Sirius first reopened the house, but he could imagine the fury it would take to do this kind of damage. He helped her to her feet before she could start crying in earnest. "You sit with him, okay? I'll get this cleaned up for you, and you can move your things in tonight."  
  
He led her out the door and up the next flight of stairs to Sirius' room, where she sat, quietly composing herself before anyone could join her. Then he headed back downstairs to see how much of her room he could salvage.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
"You. What are you doing here?" Sirius squinted up from his bed at eyes he had almost forgotten.  
  
"Relax, Black, you've had a rough summer." Muriel looked away to find that the Bloody Baron and Peeves were sitting quietly behind her in midair, "Baron - take Peeves home." Peeves blew a raspberry at her, but allowed the Baron to guide him through the wall. The other ghosts had returned to the castle hours before. When she turned back toward him, she saw that Sirius had fallen asleep again.  
  
Arthur and Molly Weasley came upstairs, carrying tea for Muriel. "He woke up enough to recognize me, and he wasn't very happy," she told them. Arthur reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but pulled back abruptly as Sirius sat straight up in bed.  
  
"What are you doing here? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Muriel smiled sadly at Molly and got up to go without a word. But Remus, running up the stairs, took her by the arm and brought her back into the room.  
  
"I should think you'd be a little more grateful!" he exclaimed, looking angrily at Sirius.  
  
"Remus, please, it's all right." Muriel could understand why Sirius might not want to see her.  
  
Arthur coughed a bit, congratulated Sirius on his recovery and exited with Molly in tow. Remus dropped Muriel's arm, gave Sirius a warning glance and also left the room. It was then that the doorbell rang. Sirius grimaced, waiting for his mother's portrait to begin screaming. "I took her down." Muriel said softly. "I hope you don't mind." For just a moment Sirius almost smiled, but then his lips tightened.  
  
"Learned a few tricks on vacation, did you?" he asked scathingly. He looked around the room for anything else to focus his eyes on. Finding nothing, he looked back at Muriel.  
  
"I wanted to tell you myself, but there was no time. Father shipped me off without so much as a word, and they've watched every path back all this time. It was only 4 days ago that I got the okay from Fudge to be back in the country at all." She didn't mention that this permission was bought with Wormtail's arrest.  
  
Sirius chose to ignore this comment entirely. "How did you do it? How'd you get me out of there?" His voice was softer now, so she did her best to match it.  
  
"It was the poltergeist. I met one while I was," she paused, then continued in a rush, "traveling. When Remus told me what you fell through, I remembered the poltergeist saying something about ghosts being able to travel back and forth through an archway like that in - in America. Regular ghosts couldn't affect anything on either side. But he could. So I got the Bloody Baron to take Peeves into the archway. It was he who pulled you back. We were so worried when you came back through unconscious. It was possible that coming back through the barrier might have separated you from your body, then we'd have no way to find you. But it didn't. You went in whole, so you came out whole." She'd spoken so fast that it had seemed a great jumble to her, but when she caught his eyes, she saw that he was finally calm.  
  
"I didn't go in there whole, Mur," he said quietly, looking down at his hands. Muriel's breath caught in her throat for an instant, but when Sirius looked up, he was looking past her with a face full of intense dislike. "I thought it wouldn't be long before you arrived, Snape," he said coldly. Muriel turned quickly in her chair, but said nothing.  
  
"I just came to deliver a potion for Lupin. He contacted me earlier today. I thought I would look in and see if you had awakened." The look in his eyes was intent and unkind. "Now that I have seen, I shall go. Good day." He turned to go before Sirius spoke again.  
  
"Aren't you even going to say hello to Muriel? After all she gave up for you I should think you'd want to at least greet her."  
  
Snape turned back, looking almost triumphant. "Hasn't she told you? She's working at Hogwarts now, and we have already had time to get reacquainted." With this, he turned on his heel and left. They heard the front door slam a moment later. Muriel was shaking her head.  
  
"There is no way for me to force either of you to be kind to one another. If you insist on baiting him like that - " but she never got to finish her sentence. Feet were thundering up the staircase, announcing Harry's arrival. Rather than pass him outside the door, Muriel gave Sirius a small smile and apparated to the kitchen.  
  
The door banged open again and Harry stopped short. Sirius, struggling to compose himself, held out an arm, and Harry ran forward again. "I can't believe it," he said hoarsely, "Everyone said there was no way. I tried everything, even the mirror!" he exclaimed. "I even asked Nearly Headless Nick. He said there just wasn't any way you could be all right."  
  
Sirius and Harry were both grinning like fools by evening. Muriel had composed herself enough to return, accompanied by a rather large wolf - bigger even that Sirius was as a dog! Harry blinked once or twice then said, "Professor Lupin?" At this the wolf jumped up onto the bed and curled up at Sirius' feet, winked at Harry, then closed his eyes and went promptly to sleep. Muriel was levitating two trays of food, her expression carefully neutral.  
  
Harry brought over a little table for himself as the first tray landed gently in Sirius' lap. She left without saying anything and Harry was grateful. It gave him more time to spend with his Godfather. "Have you seen the paper yet," he said immediately, "you're free - they caught Wormtail! Sirius sat up a bit straighter at this, and Remus, waking, chose this moment to fix him with a glance that was meaningful even from a wolf.  
  
"Who caught him?" Sirius asked, still looking at the wolf as Harry pulled the paper out of a back pocket and handed it to him.  
  
"Doesn't say." 


	7. Chapter 6 Reacquainted

Chapter 6 ~ Reacquainted  
  
Harry was permitted to stay with Sirius only for the weekend. Muriel brought his homework to him, and Harry did every bit of it at the little table beside Sirius' bed, spending as much time with him as possible. Sirius got to hear about everything, his boring summer with the Dursleys, and the Quidditch practices that were already underway. It wasn't until Sunday night that Sirius asked him about his new teacher.  
  
"Defense Against The Dark Arts," Harry responded, through a mouthful of the excellent sandwiches Mrs. Weasley had just brought up, "and she's really good too," he added, swallowing.  
  
Sirius chuckled. "I'll bet Snivellous wasn't pleased."  
  
"You know," said Harry thoughtfully, "he hasn't been nearly as bad so far this term. Neville even managed to make his potion right in the very first class." Any amusement that Sirius may have felt drained from his face quickly. Without thinking, he asked the first thing that came into his head.  
  
"Does Snape spend a lot of time with Mu - with your new professor?" He finished the question rather lamely and Harry gave him a puzzled expression before answering with more care than Sirius had hoped.  
  
"Er, no, we hardly ever see them together. They talk a lot at mealtimes, though."  
  
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was calling up the stairs, "Moody and Tonks have arrived, it's time to go!" Harry looked back at Sirius. "Well, I guess that's it 'till Christmas. I CAN come back for Christmas, right?" He asked it quickly as if he'd been planning to all along and just remembered.  
  
"Of course," Sirius was beaming again, "but I think you'll see me before then. Perhaps," he paused, looking thoughtful, "perhaps I'll come up to the school to visit." It was going to take some getting used to, this new idea that he could come and go as he pleased.  
  
"That'd be great! See you then," Harry said, and waved before heading downstairs to answer Mrs. Weasley, who'd begun shouting for him again.  
  
Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, Sirius lifted himself out of bed and headed for Buckbeak's room. By the time he emerged and went into the kitchen, Molly was frantic looking for him. She was a good deal calmer an hour later when Moody and Tonks returned with Arthur Weasley and Mundungus. They all had a late dinner and talked well into the night, when Remus turned up looking pale and hungry, but happy. Then Moody, Tonks and Mundungus took leave of them, and Mrs. Weasley left to take over a shift for the Order. Mr. Weasley declared that it was time for bed, and tromped upstairs, yawning loudly.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you arranged that, Moony," Sirius said, grinning at his friend.  
  
"And maybe I did. Why'd you do it, Sirius?"  
  
"Do what?" Sirius asked, suddenly irritable.  
  
"Bait Snape with her watching, you know better." His tone was sharp. He sighed. "They've been friends a long time."  
  
"Yes, and they can continue being FRIENDS." His emphasis on that last word made Remus cross as well. He stood up. "I never thought I'd see the day when Sirius Black was jealous of Severus Snape," he said bemusedly, turning to leave. He went to the front hall, nodding to someone in the shadows on his way up the stairs.  
  
"I never thought I'd see that day either." Muriel entered the kitchen to find Sirius with his head in his hands.  
  
"Go away," he groaned, not looking up.  
  
"Certainly not! We are too old for this now, Sirius, and times are a little too perilous." Sirius, surprised by her emphatic tone of voice, looked up. To him, she sounded just like Molly, however it was only an instant before he regretted ever thinking such a thing, as a very annoyed look had appeared on her face.  
  
"Sorry," he said, immediately. Then there was silence. Finally, not knowing what else he could say, he found her eyes and said, "Thank you for finding me." At this unexpected kindness, she started to cry. Maybe he was afraid she'd leave and seek comfort elsewhere, because he jumped up immediately to comfort her, which only made her cry the harder. He led her into the next room and sat her down in a big, fluffy armchair, perching himself on the arm of the chair. "Do you remember," he said, when she was quiet again, "that first day we really talked? After all the unpleasantness, I mean," he added hurriedly. She looked up at him.  
  
"Which unpleasantness? What James did to Severus, or what I did to James?"  
  
"Both. Do you realize I'd never actually dueled with a girl before? Aside from our usual antics, I mean. You knew all those hexes I'd never learned."  
  
Muriel laughed a bit. "You were particularly surprised with that last one, I think. You did figure out how to get rid of those extra toes, didn't you?" Now they both laughed.  
  
"I didn't even notice them until late that night. I thought your last curse had been a dud! It took James and me three weeks to figure out how to remove them without asking his parents." They talked until almost dawn, going over all the ridiculous hexes and pranks they'd played on one another. Sirius did his best, when the subject glanced on Snape, to keep his tongue in check. She'd sacrificed everything for Snape all those years ago, and it had hurt him more than he cared to admit.  
  
"I made them up, you know," she said, hesitatingly. "Those curses, they were all ones that I'd made up."  
  
"So THAT's why you wouldn't tell me where you learned them all," he chuckled. But she had fallen silent. There was obviously something else she wanted to discuss, but they never got the chance. A whirlwind of people descended on the house as the sun rose. Someone must have called an emergency meeting, and Sirius remembered with a pang that he'd left his mirror upstairs. 


	8. Chapter 7 New Developments

Chapter 7 ~ New Developments  
  
The members of the Order of the Phoenix headed for the kitchen, and Sirius was surprised to see Fred and George Weasley as well. Molly wasn't going to like that. Muriel and Sirius joined them, just as Dumbledore himself arrived in haste to begin. It was several hours before any classes would start at Hogwarts, so most of the teachers were present. The only exception was Professor Snape.  
  
The atmosphere was tense as Dumbledore explained the situation. "After Saturday night's excursion, Severus was not permitted to return. It appears that Lord Voldemort feels that the time has come for Severus to declare his loyalty openly. As you know, he has been working for several months now to bring us information about Voldemort's movements. Part of that work requires answering the call of the dark mark when he feels it. That is the only way to keep from arousing suspicion. He was, therefore, required to go, and was only able to report briefly to me, earlier this morning." No one spoke as Dumbledore paused to take a drink of the water Molly had brought to the table. Remus was staring openly and worriedly at Muriel as she sat beside Sirius, her eyes focused on the table.  
  
"Although he has not been able to give me any details of what Voldemort's plan is, we do know that Severus' part will take place in the heart of London, which puts him in a very accessible location. The time frame was a bit sketchy, but it appears that Severus will have to be gone quite some time. We'll need to appear surprised by this, and it will have to take us a few weeks, I think, to come up with a new Potions master. Also, after he misses his first and second classes today, I will be notifying the Ministry of Magic of his disappearance, so that they will join in the hunt. It will be important not to let the Minister jump to any conclusions." At this, Dumbledore looked over the top of his glasses at Arthur Weasley and Kingsley. "We do not want to appear as if we have ANY advance information. We will, however, need to be scouring London for any sign of what's happening. Even without details, we should be able to have someone on hand when the trouble begins."  
  
At this point, different sections of London and times were assigned to each member of the Order. Sirius was a little put out when he was not given anything to do in the first batch of assignments, but Dumbledore was able to calm him instantly. "Sirius, you can't work during that shift because I'm counting on you to be the new Potions master."  
  
The meeting broke up, and to Muriel's great relief, the rest of the Order of the Phoenix disappeared. Sirius followed Dumbledore and the other Professors back to Hogwarts to check on Harry and give him the latest news without Molly Weasley's interference. The aurors headed off to their office in the ministry, Kingsley pausing to give her a hug and whisper that he was glad she'd returned. The Weasley twins cajoled Molly into a trip to see their joke shop. Lastly, Remus turned to her and smiled apologetically.  
  
"Hope we didn't interrupt you too soon," he said slyly.  
  
"Oh shut it, Remus," Mur said wearily.  
  
"I guess we did then, sorry."  
  
Mur shook her head. Remus had always been quick to apologize. "It's not your fault. If I had any of your fabled Gryffindor courage I would have said something at the beginning of the conversation, not waited until dawn. It was just so nice to talk to him for a while – "  
  
Remus smiled knowingly. It was only a matter of time. "Look, I need to run a quick errand. I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" She nodded as he bounded out the door, as energetic as he'd ever been. The order of things had been reestablished for him, she knew, when Sirius returned. The slanted world had been righted again. But then why did everything seem to be going wrong?  
  
Suppressing what she knew would be an overly dramatic sigh, she got herself a glass of water and headed upstairs. She was glad, now, that she'd asked Dumbledore to cancel two weeks worth of Defense Against the Dark Arts classes instead of just one. She'd found Wormtail much more quickly than she could have hoped, and now she had some time to just enjoy being back.  
  
It'd been years since she'd indulged in anything like a nice bath, and now that she was finally alone, she thought it would do her good. With a twinge, she remembered an evening spent in the Prefect's bathroom, plotting with Lily.  
  
She pushed open the door to her room hesitantly. She hadn't been back to it yet, since last night she'd been talking and the night before she'd slept at Deesia Manor. The house elves had been so pleased to see her, and she'd enjoyed hearing Lupso chatter excitedly about what little had happened since she'd been gone. She'd invited him to come and work at Black Manor instead, and he'd been glad to accept, disappearing with her trunk while she took some time to walk down to the lake and reminisce.  
  
Remus had fixed everything but the mirror, which was fine with her. Lupso had obviously rearranged the room to match what she'd been accustomed to as a child. She smiled and waved her wand, changing it back to the way it had been during her stay. House elves had been frowned upon in America. It would be nice to have Lupso around again.  
  
She went into the bathroom that connected her room to the unused one next door and set her water on the counter. With a flick of her wrist, she started the water running. Then she began opening drawers and cupboards. It wasn't long before she found the scented oils Mrs. Black had provided for her all those years ago. There had been several choices when she'd first arrived, but after her first bath all had disappeared except the Rice Flower scented one she'd chosen.  
  
She was surprised to see that a new bottle of it had been placed there, and she took it out, looking at it carefully before something clicked in her mind. Kreature. He had been instructed to obey her as if she were family. He must know she was in the house.  
  
She snapped her fingers, a sudden look of fury twisting her features. Remus had told her of Kreature's hand in last term's disaster, and it wasn't the sort of thing a house elf should just get away with. The water behind her turned off. She turned to see that Lupso had appeared and stopped the tub from overflowing. Kreature was no where to be seen.  
  
"Bring me the house elf, Kreature," she instructed Lupso quietly. He looked terrified, and she was glad. If he was going to work for the Order of the Phoenix, he needed to learn that you don't conspire against them.  
  
When the elves reappeared, they found her sitting thoughtfully on the edge of the tub. Kreature bowed pitiably and began whimpering. Apparently Lupso had warned him of what to expect.  
  
"Kreature, bring me the heads of your ancestors," she demanded. The foul being's eyes widened worriedly. This hadn't been their fault. Surely she wouldn't really –  
  
"NOW!" she barked, her fury renewed with his delay. Lupso cringed as Kreature disappeared and reappeared, the mounted heads hovering behind him.  
  
"Cast them into the fireplace," she said quietly. There was no emotion in her voice. Kreature did as he was told. "Do you understand that you betrayed the last living member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black?" Kreature nodded again, beginning to shake, as Lupso looked on. Suddenly, however, there was no pity in his gaze. Good elves don't betray their masters. Obviously Kreature deserved whatever his mistress had in store for him.  
  
Together the three watched the shriveled heads burn. Then Muriel turned back to the elves. "It is time for you to join them. Because he lived, I will grace you with the beheading spell, rather than burning your body whole."  
  
"Mistress is kind, she is! Kreature is grateful!" he exclaimed pitifully. With a soft word, Kreature began to float. Then, suddenly, his lower body disappeared and his neck squeezed closed. She watched as the light drained from his eyes. Then she banished the head toward the fire.  
  
She watched in silence as it, too, was consumed. "Lupso?" she inquired sharply. "You are not to speak of this. You will obey each member of the Order of the Phoenix. You will not, however, take it upon yourself to leave this building or contact anyone outside of it unless Sirius Black or myself specifically instruct you to do so."  
  
"Yes, Mistress Deesia."  
  
"Now leave me." An instant later, he was gone, and she was sliding gratefully into the water of the old, ceramic tub. She summoned the bath oil and let the scent take her back to another time, remembering long- passed dueling and kisses by the lake.  
  
How long she soaked, she didn't know, but she DID notice that Lupso had charmed the water to remain hot. He always was the best house elf. She grinned, noticing her drink, which she'd left by the sink. She raised her wand and muttered the summoning spell, but the wand slipped from her soapy grasp, causing the glass to shatter on the cold, tile floor.  
  
She swore once, then looked around. Her wand had rolled to a stop under the toilet, and she couldn't get to it without cutting her feet on the glass shards that now covered the floor. She swore again.  
  
"MOONY!" she hollered, hoping he'd come back by now. She heard steps on the stairs. "MOONY? Can you help me with this?" She sank below the bubbles as the door swung open to reveal a very startled Sirius Black. Her eyes widened involuntarily.  
  
She hesitatingly explained what she'd done as a slow and unnerving smirk crept over his face. He was still angry, that much she could tell, about her obvious concern for Severus during the meeting. But that emotion seemed to melt away as the humor of the situation occurred to him. Here was the infamous Muriel Deesia, stuck in a bathtub through her own ineptitude. She smiled warily up at him.  
  
"Please?" she asked. Still smirking, he repaired the glass and set it back on the counter by the sink. Then he knelt down to retrieve her wand and placed it on the side of the tub. He met her eyes as she thanked him.  
  
Something shifted in his mind again. All traces of his anger vanished, and Muriel felt something that she'd not felt in fifteen years. Almost, she didn't recognize it. But there it was, as though his eyes were pushing it into her head. Could he really still love her, after all she'd done? She bit her lip, not able to look away.  
  
His hand came up to cradle her cheek, and she closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again to see him leaning toward her.  
  
He could see the beads of water clinging to her eyelashes as they fell against her cheeks, but he paused. After all this time, did she want this? She was moving toward him, and he felt his face go red. Merlin! How old was he now? And he was blushing.  
  
Mur lifted herself out of the water. She saw his eyes flicker to her breasts and back again. His face went red almost instantly. It didn't matter. She could almost reach him. She tilted her head and felt his intake of breath just before their lips met.  
  
"MURIEL? SIRIUS?" A shout outside her bedroom door brought Sirius quickly to his feet. Muriel slid down, the water sloshing noisily as she hid herself from view beneath the bubbles.  
  
"We're in here, Moony," Sirius growled, his eyes still on her. An instant later, he appeared in the doorway.  
  
Remus stopped short at the sight before him and restrained himself from laughing. Merlin only knows what he'd interrupted this time! "Mur, Draco Malfoy is in Dumbledore's office asking for you. He won't talk to the Headmaster at all."  
  
Muriel knew immediately what it must be. "Lucius must have written him something about Sev," she said. She began to remove herself from the tub, forgetting who was with her in her haste. She was reminded swiftly when she felt a wave of fresh anger from Sirius.  
  
It always happened this way. He would get so close, then something would happen with Snape and she'd forget all about him and go running off to help the slimy git. He glared angrily at Remus, who disappeared without another word. Then he turned to go as well.  
  
"Black?" she called after him. For just a minute, he let himself think that maybe –  
  
"Could you hand me that towel before you stomp out of here in a huff?" No, obviously she had completely forgotten what had almost happened. He put on his best smirk, the one he'd saved especially for her back in school, and turned just outside the door.  
  
"Sorry Deesia. You called in your last favor for the glass."  
  
"FINE!" she snapped. Then she stood abruptly, bubbles chasing each other over her thighs and down her legs. He felt his mouth fall open as she stepped out of the tub and came toward him. He almost reached for her.  
  
She felt his anger fade, but didn't care. What right did he have to be angry just because she was worried about her best friend? With a snap of her wrist she removed the towel from the rack next to his head, and with her other hand, she slammed the door in his gaping face. 


	9. Chapter 8 No One Needs To Know

Chapter 8 ~ No One Needs To Know  
  
Half an hour later found her walking around the lake with a boy who reminded her so much of Lucius that she could hardly remember not to call him by that name. Neither said a word until they were on the other side of the lake.  
  
"I had a letter this morning that I thought you'd want to see," he whispered suddenly, handing her an opened envelope. Muriel recognized the precise lettering immediately.  
  
Fixing him with a searching stare, she opened the letter.  
  
"My Son, I have been informed that you are to be included in the next adventure. It will occur over the Christmas Holidays. He is anxious that you should be involved. You are to pack all your things for this trip home. Do not leave anything behind. HoH informs me that another ally has recently been employed at Hogwarts. She will help you to gather the following items. Regards."  
  
A second sheet revealed a list of potions ingredients, and Muriel read through them, snorting.  
  
"Well. Lucius remembers me. How flattering." She looked at Draco's wary face and tried to smile. Her mind was racing. How could Lucius think she was an ally? And why would Severus have mentioned her presence to him at all?  
  
She turned abruptly and began walking back toward the castle. She was halfway there when she stopped abruptly, understanding. Someone must have seen her take Wormtail, and Lucius must have ASKED Severus about her. Damn, that would complicate things.  
  
Draco had followed her silently, and was gazing at her intently when she stopped, only to start again, her steps leading them swiftly toward the dungeons. "You aren't going to send him what he wants, are you?" Draco asked incredulously as she began hastily pulling the requested ingredients out of the storeroom.  
  
He hadn't dared NOT to go to her for help, considering his father's letter, but he'd been relieved when Dumbledore had contacted Lupin to find her. That meant she was staying at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters. Now, he felt his relief draining away as he watched her prepare to send Snape and his father what they'd requested. He barely realized just how concerned he was becoming when she spoke again and he felt the knot of fear in his stomach release.  
  
"I'm not going to send him YOU, but if I'm supposed to be on their side, then I'd best make a concession here and there, hadn't I?"  
  
Draco didn't know what to think. Professor Deesia had obviously fooled his father into thinking she supported Voldemort. The only other explanation for that letter was an impossibility: That Lucius knew Deesia didn't support Voldemort, but wanted Draco with her anyway.  
  
Muriel was thinking along the same lines, though with a bit more experience to guide her. Lucius had always known and would always know what she thought of Riddle. He must have figured out where Draco had spent last summer; something she'd only just gleaned from the boy's mind herself. She recognized the letter as his plea for her to watch over Draco and try to keep him out of mischief. What else could it be?  
  
She dismissed Draco with a distracted order NOT to leave Hogwart's grounds for any reason, and bundled the requested items up for delivery, trying to decide whether or not to write back. In the end, she deemed it too risky. Lucius had a reputation to protect, and there was little doubt that if she endangered that, he would try to kill her. Especially considering that a loss of reputation with the Dark Lord could often result in one's own death.  
  
Now, at least, she knew when Riddle's plan would come to a head. After swearing him to secrecy as to where it had come from, she left the letter with Dumbledore.  
  
It was less than a week later when she came upon an interesting scene between classes in the hallway. Ron Weasley had his wand in the air, pointing it steadily at Draco's head. Harry and Hermione were also present, standing behind Ron with angry expressions.  
  
"Mr. Weasley?" she said, in her best impression of Severus. "Might I ask why you are about to hex Draco?" She saw the young Malfoy smirking out of the corner of her eye as Ron turned to face her. All the boys were taller than she was, but only Draco looked at ease.  
  
"He called Hermione a mud blood again," Ron said savagely.  
  
Muriel smirked, turning to the pretty girl. "Miss Granger, are your parents, in fact, muggles?" she asked, making all the boys gape at her. Even Draco, unsure of her allegiance, hadn't thought she'd insult Hermione. The girl only nodded. Muriel noted that Ron seemed far more upset than Hermione did. That answered that question.  
  
"I see. Miss Granger, are you not the most powerful witch in the 6th year class?" Hermione blinked at the short brunette stupidly. Gryffindor modesty, Mur supposed. She stifled a sigh. Why were Gryffindor boys so conceited when the girls were always so modest?  
  
"Perhaps you can answer for her, Mr. Weasley?"  
  
"Of course she is! She can do every spell we've ever learned!" he spat angrily.  
  
"And yet you do not feel that she is capable of defending herself against a little INSULT?" Mur asked scathingly. "30 points from Gryffindor for disrespecting Miss Granger, Weasley, and detention tomorrow night in my office." She waited as Ron sputtered, watching the look on Hermione's face change to discreet satisfaction. No one liked to be treated like a porcelain doll. When he finally fell silent, glaring at her angrily, she turned to Draco.  
  
"Care to explain why you insulted Hermione?" she asked calmly. Draco's smirk fell away abruptly.  
  
"I only say it to get a rise out of Weasley," he mumbled quietly.  
  
"So I gathered. 30 points from Slytherin for choosing your battles so poorly. If you want to duel Weasley that badly, then you may do so tomorrow night, during detention." Draco nodded. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, you are dismissed." For a moment she thought Ron might protest, but Harry pulled him away insistently. No one wants to incur the wrath of the person who tries daily to invade his mind.  
  
Muriel turned back to Hermione and Draco, both of whom were looking anywhere but at each other. She waited. When Draco finally looked up at her, she raised an eyebrow.  
  
His eyes widened when he understood what she wanted. His father had long since taught him that a Malfoy doesn't have to apologize for anything. It was like "please," and "thank you," it just WASN'T DONE.  
  
Reading his thoughts, Muriel smirked at him and her eyes seemed to bore into his as she sent him back a thought of her own. 'Your father thanked me for something once.' She saw his look of surprise and raised her eyebrow again, nodding toward Hermione, who was still looking at the floor.  
  
"I'm sorry I called you a mudblood," he said grudgingly, looking at the girl in front of him. "If you'll promise not to call me a ferret anymore, I'll come up with a better way to get at Weasley." Muriel smiled behind her hand. That was by far the best compromise she had ever heard from a Malfoy. It was, perhaps, the ONLY compromise she'd ever heard from a Malfoy. She headed to lunch quietly. They could work it out, now. Hermione was a good deal more level headed than the Gryffindor boys would ever be.  
  
The days that followed went by smoothly, though a growing knot of tension developed in Muriel's stomach. Nights found her sitting by the fire with Remus, and mornings found her avoiding Sirius' angry glares by eating at Hogwarts.  
  
Finally, when he was tired of being ignored, she found him sitting in front of the only fireplace in the house that was connected to the floo network. She was on her way to the school, nearly two hours before classes, and it was getting too cold to make the walk from Hogsmeade every day.  
  
"Didn't think you were much of a morning person, Black," she said carefully, wondering if he was only blocking her way so that he could start another fight.  
  
"Yes, well, I start teaching Potions classes today, so I thought I'd join you for breakfast." His voice was tight, and his annoyance carefully reigned in. Mur thought that perhaps she could sit through breakfast with him, if he could manage not to explode.  
  
She forced a smile. "Shall we, then?"  
  
It quickly became a ritual. Each morning, he'd wait for her by the fireplace and they would sit together silently at breakfast. At lunch they would talk quietly about Draco and Harry, and what a nightmare 6th year potions classes were. She would tease him a little and tell him they were no trouble at all in her class, which was true. Neither boy dared step out of line in her class; Harry because the Occlumency lessons were difficult enough without an angry teacher, and Draco because he was still partially afraid she'd send him back to his father for the Christmas holiday.  
  
At the end of classes, Muriel would arrive in the dungeons to help Sirius clean up. He had always had a brilliant understanding of potions, though in their youth he'd been too impatient to be any good at actually brewing them. They laughed over the broken cauldrons and spilled goop that didn't resemble any useful potion in existence.  
  
Dinner conversation usually revolved around Gryffindor's prospects on the Quidditch Pitch, or reminiscing about their own days on their respective teams. Muriel liked this part of the day best. Sirius seemed more the arrogant boy she remembered during dinner than any other part of the day. And, Merlin help her, she'd loved that arrogant boy.  
  
But after dinner, when they returned to Grimmauld place, things would always go downhill. Muriel would sit by the fire with her tea, Remus usually sitting across from her. Sirius would feed Buckbeak and try to join them, but he could feel Muriel's growing worry. And each night he would leave the room without speaking, his anger building with the knowledge of how much she cared for Severus Snape. By the time breakfast rolled around, he was sullen and silent again.  
  
Muriel endured it as long as she could. Then one night, she decided to do something about it. He stood in the doorway watching them, and she could feel his presence. "Damn it, Sirius, come in and sit down!" she exclaimed, turning to look at him before he could disappear back upstairs to brood.  
  
"Why? So we can all discuss how upset you are that he's gone?" he asked scathingly, purposely ignoring her use of his given name, rare though that was.  
  
At this, Remus snapped his eyes away from the fire, and spoke before Muriel could reply. "Of course she's upset he's gone. Aren't you? For Merlin's sake, he's staying with Malfoy, EVERYONE'S upset that he's gone."  
  
It wasn't often that Remus was bothered enough to get angry, but when he did it was an interesting sight. He flushed orange in the firelight and his eyes, always the palest shade of brown, gleamed wickedly. Sirius took three swift steps into the room and opened his mouth to reply.  
  
"On second thought," Remus began, cutting him off. "Don't say anything. You'll just dig yourself another hole, and I don't want it to be my fault." He slammed his empty teacup back onto the saucer and stood, trying to push past Sirius and out of the room.  
  
"Moony!" Muriel exclaimed, overcoming her surprise and standing to face them both. "I fight my own battles," she said dangerously. Both men turned to her. Her eyes were tired and for the first time, Sirius noticed how haggard she looked as she walked toward them.  
  
"Make no mistake, boys. When my friends are in danger, I am upset. I'd feel the same about either of you. The difference is that Severus would be around to comfort me, instead of spending his time fighting over some petty form of canine dominance." Her voice was still low, and both were forcibly reminded of her mother's howler in their fourth year. "Try to remember that we're all human, okay, and stop acting like a couple of rabid mutts." The insult hung in the air long after she went up to bed. Finally Remus threw himself back into his chair, his head in his hands, as Sirius followed her upstairs.  
  
The hallway was dark, and when her door creaked open, Muriel reached for her wand, unable to see who entered. She reached out with her mind and felt nothing. The only people who'd ever blocked her entirely were Severus and Remus. And she knew it couldn't be Severus. She put her wand back on the bedside table.  
  
"Moony?" she asked quietly. She scooted into the middle of the bed as he sat down silently. His face was turned toward her, but she couldn't make out his features in the light from the sliver of moon outside. Sirius wasn't sure whether he wanted to be recognized or not, so he remained silent.  
  
"Finally learned how to apologize like a Slytherin, did you? Well, don't worry about it." She sounded amused. "You probably kept me from saying something even worse." His only answer was to turn his eyes toward the window. Finally she spoke again.  
  
"It's no wonder he hates me. Here I am worried about my best friend when he lost Potter so long ago." She heard his intake of breath, but continued anyway, her voice falling to an agonized whisper.  
  
"I could have saved them. I could have saved Lily. And Potter. I'd give every galleon I have to see his arrogant grin again." Already she felt the familiar tears running past her earlobes to soak her pillow. How many times had she cried for them in all these years? She tried to focus her eyes on the ceiling, though the darkness prevented her from seeing it. When she continued, her voice was unsteady and full of grief. "If I'd been here, if I'd had a chance to even be in the same ROOM with Peter, I could have prevented the whole mess."  
  
She fell silent, unwilling to continue in the breaking voice she'd barely recognized. There was no emotion in the air but her own bitter regret. She continued in a whisper. "If I had known it was a choice between sending Sev to Azkaban or sending Sirius there, what would I have done, Moony?" She stifled a gasp as her tears overtook her, but still he made no move. "Severus would never have been able to stay sane in that place. He was never as strong as Sirius. He'd seen too much." She paused again. "What else could I have done?" she asked, knowing there was no answer.  
  
Finally he reached out a hand to wipe away her tears, but she caught his wrist in a tight grip before he touched her. "Please don't," she choked out, releasing him and turning away. "He did that, not long ago, and I'm still memorizing the feel of his hand there, in case it has to last me the next 15 years."  
  
She felt him get up from the bed, then, and determined to hold back the tears until he'd gone. When the door closed behind him, she rolled back over, pulling the spare pillow over her face to muffle the sobs she could no longer control.  
  
Just outside the door, Sirius sank to the floor, his own tears spilling from his eyes. He didn't blame her, had never blamed her for their deaths. He'd only been angry that she'd left him. She was walking around with as much guilt as he, and more than anything he wanted to comfort her. If only he could get his own grief under control, maybe he would.  
  
Remus found him there half an hour later and offered a hand to help him to his feet. He was surprised when Sirius pulled him into a hug before they headed upstairs to find their respective rooms. Sirius had classes to teach again tomorrow, after all, and a routine to get back to. 


	10. Chapter 9 In Motion

Chapter 9 ~ In Motion  
  
Professor Snape finally managed to contact them only 3 days before the Christmas Holiday. Lord Voldemort, tired of operating covertly to attract followers, was planning to abduct several people in key positions, most notably, Percy Weasley. Percy was still being hard headed about returning to the family. Although it had been proven to him that his parents had been correct, he was still refusing to have anything to do with them. According to Snape, the targets in question, over twenty young witches and wizards in all, were to be rounded up on Christmas Eve. Professor Dumbledore sat again at the head of the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, recounting everything Snape had reported to the rest of The Order.  
  
It was decided that the school would have to be emptied for Christmas to allow the professors free movement. Professor McGonagal hurried off to see to this as they continued to come up with a way to protect Percy and the others. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley immediately sent him an owl, inviting him to spend Christmas at the Burrow, but without much hope. He hadn't answered their last 2 owls at all.  
  
When it appeared that the meeting was concluded, Muriel took Professor Dumbledore aside, not noticing that Sirius was also lingering in the kitchen. "I think it would be a good idea to concentrate on capturing Severus." She spoke quietly, but urgently.  
  
Dumbledore, knowing better than to disregard her warnings out of hand, nodded thoughtfully. "Are you in contact with him?"  
  
She nodded as well. "He's concerned that they might be on to him. If we captured him on Christmas Eve I don't think it would be too soon. And I," she paused, noticing Sirius' presence as he levitated the dishes from the table to the sink. She lowered her voice. "I may have a plan for how to catch him. Possibly it will help us with the other problem we discussed as well."  
  
Dumbledore looked intently at her, then steered her into the hallway, out of Sirius' earshot. "Are you referring to Draco?"  
  
She nodded. "I cast the spell last night, and was able to talk with Severus briefly. He's staying with the Malfoys just now. With Draco staying at the school over break, I'm sure it will work." She knew Sirius was listening from just inside the kitchen door, but she continued on doggedly. This was too important to ignore, even for the sake of his feelings. "When we were young Severus and I came up with a great many curses and hexes and potions. You know the kind of families we were raised in, so you can imagine that some were pretty nasty. I remember once I crossed the Cruciatus curse with an everstick spell. We were only 9 years old, two years before Hogwarts." Professor Dumbledore cringed, but nodded. "I reminded him of that spell last night. I know the spell, but only he knows the counter spell. I cursed him and didn't see him again for over a week. It took him two days to figure out the counter spell, and almost a week to recover from it." She paused again, and saw that Dumbledore was beginning to see her plan. "Severus is perfectly capable of deflecting the spell back to me. I'll not block it. Someone will have to be on hand to get me out of there. Then, if Draco could just happen to see me in the hospital wing and learn that Severus is the only one who can help me, I think Draco will bring Severus to the school. I've always been kind to that boy, and I really think he would do it. That would conveniently catch Severus for us. He knows the plan and will allow Draco to kidnap him. It will also force Draco to choose, which is what he needs right now more than anything. If we let him just stew, he'll end up with the mark, just like Sev did." She looked at Dumbledore again. She knew it was a good plan, but he was hesitating. Finally, he nodded. Then, after fixing her with another searching stare, he left.  
  
Muriel turned to head upstairs. She could feel Sirius, seething, in the kitchen. For the millionth time, she wished she could turn that ability off. She changed direction mid-stride, and went back into the kitchen. He was right where she'd pictured him, just inside the doorway. She walked past him and began enchanting the dishes to wash before he began.  
  
"So you'd do it all again? That's what that means, you know." She was surprised by how quietly he spoke. She could feel the anger emanating from him, but he sounded more hurt than angry.  
  
"Black, I should think you of all people would understand why I couldn't hand Severus over to the Ministry of Magic. He hadn't really DONE anything, discounting his father's death. The bastard had forced him into becoming a Death Eater. I just couldn't send an innocent man to Azkaban." She knew he was stung by these words, but continued anyway. "Maybe when I left you couldn't understand, but surely now you can forgive me."  
  
"But you must've known they'd count you a traitor. You must have realized that letting him go meant giving up all the plans we'd made." His voice was still quieter. She couldn't help but think how different he was from the angry young man he had been. Still rash, yes, but with a sense of responsibility that wasn't there before. He was waiting for her to respond, but she didn't know what to say.  
  
"You're still very angry. I had better -" she'd been about to say goodbye, but he cut her off. Apparently she'd said the wrong thing.  
  
"OF COURSE I'M ANGRY. HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO FEEL?" She felt the tears coming to her eyes, but blinked them away as he continued, more quietly. She realized the whole house was still, and was pretty sure that the Weasleys, somewhere upstairs, had heard his outburst. "That's what it comes down to, really. After these past three months of tiptoeing around the subject, that's the question that matters. How do you want me to feel?" He sounded utterly dejected.  
  
She sat down at the half-cleared table, holding her head up with her hands as though her neck didn't have the strength. "Do you remember," she whispered, "that last Hogsmeade Weekend, of our 6th year? Severus had asked me to go with him, but I didn't think anything of it, since we'd always gone together. He knew I was seeing someone, but I hadn't told him whom. Everyone else was nice enough to keep quiet too, although I think Potter was tempted." She looked up carefully. He had sat down across from her, and the corners of his mouth quivered slightly at this last comment.  
  
"I had to threaten to banish him to Africa to keep him from telling anyone."  
  
"Anyway," she went on, hoping he would be able to hear her out, "we saw you and you waved, and we had that horrible row. I know you heard it because you'd only just passed us a few moments before." She stopped again, waiting for an acknowledgement.  
  
"We heard it, but I sent James and Lily on ahead so I could come find you when it was over."  
  
"There were some things you didn't hear, though, things he didn't say because they would have been more embarrassing to him than to me. You didn't hear that only an hour earlier he'd tried to drag me into Madam Puddifoot's TeaRoom and I refused.  
  
"I didn't need to hear that to know how he felt. Everyone could see it but you." Sirius' voice finally sounded less strained, so Muriel tried to continue.  
  
"A lifetime spent as my best friend had forced him to learn to hide emotion. I just couldn't believe he loved me because I couldn't feel it from him at all. It was deceit, but it didn't hurt anyone but him. He never spoke to me again after that day. He closed his mind up so tight that the night I caught him I didn't know it was he until I'd pulled back his cowl. That was, what, two years later? A good two months after the Potters' wedding, at least."  
  
"And you know, I tried again to get back, when I heard about what happened." She added this suddenly, as though it pained her to say it. "I tried everything I knew. My father had the entire floo network under surveillance, and every witch or wizard that went through was tested for poly juice potion. He intercepted every letter I tried to send. I got almost no news at all. My father died years ago and I didn't even know it until just last September when I was in the Aurors' office talking to - " here she paused, realizing that she'd slipped up. She hadn't been intending to tell him that.  
  
"That would explain why the papers didn't say who'd caught him," Sirius said, understanding immediately. Then, finally, he smiled. "It also explains why Fudge gave you the okay to come back, and how you got them to let you pull me out of the archway." Now he was chuckling, "You are something else, you know that?"  
  
"First Auror to come out of Ravenclaw in 80 years," she replied, glad to finally feel the butterflies in her stomach settling down. She met his eyes, wondering if she dared to say it, now that things were less tense, and decided she did. "So, how do I want you to feel?" The smile vanished from his face, and he looked suddenly serious again. "I want you to feel whole, Sirius." She reached a hand across the table, and he took it in both of his, and they sat that way in silence. 


	11. Chapter 10 Thwarting The Dark Lord Again

Chapter 10 ~ Thwarting the Dark Lord Again  
  
The next two days passed in a rush of planning. Members of the Order followed the 27 young witches and wizards whose names Snape had provided. Fred and George were covering Percy. Mrs. Weasley had fought this bitterly, of course, but in the end it was decided that, as they were the only members of the family to whom he was speaking, they would serve him best.  
  
Professor McGonagal had arranged for most of the students to return home, or to a friend's house, which brought Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to Grimmauld place. Professor Deesia made sure that Draco Malfoy understood that he was to stay at Hogwarts.  
  
Draco had seemed furious, of course, when his father was sent to Azkaban, forbidding anyone to speak of it, and hexing anyone who did. Once Lucius had escaped, however, he had become more fearful, hardly speaking of his father at all. Professor Deesia remembered talking with Dumbledore about it, only days after Lucius' escape. Draco's situation was so like what Severus had gone through that she just couldn't sit by and do nothing. Dumbledore had agreed that something must be done, and Professor Deesia felt confident that her plan would solve Draco's problem. Even as often as she saw him being cruel to fellow students, she knew that he wasn't won over to Lord Voldemort, not yet anyway.  
  
Christmas Eve arrived. Hogwarts was left with Madam Pomfrey, Madam Hooch, and Professor Flitwick, who presided over dinner, and sent the few remaining students to bed as early as possible.  
  
Mrs. Weasley sat with Muriel and Sirius, having sent Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to bed. They were the only members of the Order not out watching over Voldemort's intended victims. "I can't believe I'm expected to stay here and look after children while you are all putting yourselves in danger!" she exclaimed, for probably the third time that night. Sirius caught her eye, and she thought she saw a bit of humor there. She fell silent, remembering that it wasn't so very long ago that she'd been scolding him for his restlessness.  
  
They waited in tense silence. George and Fred appeared suddenly in front of them, supporting a very pale Percy Weasley. As Mrs. Weasley jumped up to help George take Percy upstairs, Fred sank into a chair at the table. "He was hit with a stunning spell before we could get there, so we had to bring him home like that. I hated to do it, 'cause I knew it would upset mum. Avery got away."  
  
At the sound of Avery's name, the glass in front of Muriel shattered. Sirius repaired it quickly, ignoring Fred's questioning gaze. Muriel got up to get some more water and nearly bumped into Tonks, who'd arrived alone, looking frazzled.  
  
"Come on, you two, let's go." That was all she said before disappearing again. It took Muriel a moment to remember where Tonks had been stationed, then she, too, disappeared. Fred turned back to Sirius, but found that he was also gone, so instead he headed upstairs to help Mrs. Weasley and George bring Percy around.  
  
Tonks had been stationed with Arthur, following a young man named Lonsberry. He held the job that Percy had first had in the Ministry of Magic. When they arrived, Sirius could see that Lonsberry was dueling with Severus not far from the visitor entrance to St. Mungos. Muriel rushed to join them, and Sirius and Tonks looked around for Mr. Weasley. They found him; bound and being transported by Macnair down an alley a block away. "Finite Incantum," Tonks screamed, flicking her wand at Mr. Weasley, whose bonds disappeared as he fell heavily to the ground. Macnair hissed angrily as he raised his wand to meet Tonks, who'd already set her second spell loose. Macnair was just a moment too late to block it, and his wand flew out of his hand. Mr. Weasley had just stood up to face him when Macnair disapparated.  
  
Mr. Weasley, Tonks and Sirius ran back toward Muriel and Severus in time to see Muriel cast a stunning spell, which Severus deftly deflected in the direction of Lonsberry. Not expecting the attack, he fell, unconscious. Tonks and Arthur reached Lonsberry and brought out a port key to take them back to Grimmauld Place. In a moment they were gone.  
  
Severus looked around anxiously as Sirius arrived next to Muriel. He was sorely tempted to just disappear. He almost couldn't stand the thought of causing her as much pain as she was about to feel, but it was too late, as she had already lifted her wand. He carefully blocked the curse, sending it back at her. Muriel let the curse hit her, even as she watched Sirius begin his duel with Severus. She knew it had to look convincing, but - then the curse kicked in, and she didn't think of anything at all. All she could do was scream.  
  
Sirius grimaced as she let out the first cry, but sent a few curses toward Snape anyway, missing on purpose. As quickly as he could, he let Snape catch him with an unexpectedly harmless curse and fell backward, pulling out his port key as he fell.  
  
Severus faked a gasp as Sirius and Muriel disappeared, then swore loudly. He knew that he would be closely watched now that Mur was back in town. He was grudgingly thankful at that moment to Sirius, who had done his best to make it a convincing act. He buried his regret about the pain Muriel was surely feeling, and apparated back to the Malfoy mansion, hoping that they could get Draco into her presence quickly, so that this would all be over.  
  
"Turning out to be a bad night, wouldn't you say, Severus?" Lucius was standing by a roll-top mahogany desk, several paces behind him. Lucius, who wasn't supposed to be here.  
  
"Indeed," he replied, putting on an even more sour face than usual. "It seems odd that four powerful witches and wizards turned up to prevent the abduction of a single Ministry underling. I can only hope that the others had more luck than we did. Has Macnair arrived yet?"  
  
"The Dark Lord is meeting with him now." As if in response to these words, a shriek rang out somewhere above them. "It seems that he is most displeased with tonight's escapades."  
  
Severus did not allow his expression to change. He hadn't trusted Lucius in many years. "The fool had the blood traitor, Weasley, bound and ready to bring here. But he couldn't wait for me to finish with Lonsberry and Tonks, so he took him and ran. If it hadn't been for his cowardice, we'd have had three important prisoners. Now we have none." With that, Severus joined Lucius at the desk, which he opened to reveal a rather extensive collection of alcoholic beverages. He poured himself a glass of fire whiskey without asking, and sat down to wait, suppressing a cringe as his one-time dorm mate screamed once more. 


	12. Chapter 11 Redeeming A Malfoy

Chapter 11 ~ Redeeming a Malfoy  
  
Sirius' port key had been linked to the hospital ward at Hogwarts, and the timing couldn't have been better. It seemed that Malfoy had sneaked out to practice Quidditch alone and had unwisely released a bludger. Madam Pomfrey was just sending him out the door when they appeared, Muriel still whimpering, on the floor. Madam Pomfrey helped Sirius lift her onto a bed and questioned him about what had happened. Sirius supplied her with the details of the curse she'd been hit with. Since it was her own, Madam Pomfrey tried to ask her what the counter curse was. But Muriel was unable to do anything but scream in answer.  
  
"I don't know, I don't know, only Severus knows!" Sirius, who'd been watching Malfoy out of the corner of his eye, saw his horrified look as he slipped quietly from the room.  
  
"Take care of her, Poppy," he said, as he pulled out Harry's invisibility cloak, "I've got to make sure he's going where we think he's going." Sirius followed Malfoy, who was heading determinedly off Hogwart's grounds. He watched him apparate, then returned to the hospital room. When he arrived, Madam Pomfrey was wiping Muriel's brow. She looked up triumphantly.  
  
"He took your port key with him!" She was beaming, and Sirius grinned back.  
  
"Alright, then, everything is in motion here. I'm headed back to Headquarters to see if they need any help with the others." Sirius arrived a few minutes later at Grimmauld Place, which was now filled with young wizards and witches who were not members of the Order. Percy was awake, and helping his brothers explain what was going on to the new arrivals. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, free to come downstairs while Mrs. Weasley had been seeing to Percy, had not been sent back up. They sat with Fred, George, Percy and several others at the kitchen table. Sirius could tell by the looks on their faces that Fred and George had told them the plan.  
  
"It looks like Draco has gone to fetch Snape," he said into the silence that had fallen so abruptly. They looked back at him with disbelief on their faces. They plainly thought that Malfoy was incapable of performing such a good deed. Sirius heard himself explain, "I wouldn't have believed that Snape would be a spy for the Order when I went to school with him, but there he is, doing it. Sometimes your first impression of someone isn't always right." He stood for a moment, trying to take in what he'd heard himself say. He wasn't sure he'd convinced himself, let alone them. "I'm going to go check on Buckbeak," he said defeatedly, heading up the stairs.  
  
Madam Pomfrey was in her office when Draco reappeared, holding Sirius' discarded port key. Also touching the port key were two very angry looking adults, both bound and apparently gagged. Draco calmly removed the three wands he had stuck under his belt and used his own to stun Lucius Malfoy again, who fell backwards hard, his head cracking sickeningly against the floor. No one noticed Severus' cringe.  
  
Professor Deesia was still curled into a tight ball, fighting back screams as best she could. The tears she couldn't control had soaked her hair and pillow. Draco turned from his father and approached Snape. "Here," he snapped, loosing the bonds and tossing Snape his wand. He was careful to keep his own wand pointing directly at the Potions Master. "Perform the counter-curse and nothing else, or you'll be very sorry." Draco tried to sound threatening, although he didn't feel very brave. He was already starting to think that his luck today just couldn't hold out.  
  
Snape sneered at him, but kept his eyes on the boy's wand as he approached the writhing form of Professor Deesia and quietly performed the counter- curse. As soon as she'd stopped crying out, Draco jabbed his wand at Snape and yelled, "Expelliarmus!"  
  
He quickly bound the Potions Master again, and dragged him off to lie beside Lucius, looking very smug indeed. Then he went to Professor Deesia, who was still shivering violently, as though the shadows of her pain had not left her. He saw, though, that she had a look of relief on her face. "Come here, Draco," she whispered, patting the bed. Draco sat down on the side of her bed, feeling rather out of place as she reached for his hand. He could tell it took all the strength she had left when she raised her head to say thank you. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep.  
  
Madam Pomfrey bustled in with a full and steaming cauldron, followed by Sirius Black, Professor Dumbledore, and, much to Draco's dismay, Harry Potter. Draco jumped off the bed sheepishly, but was not able to drop Professor Deesia's hand, which suddenly seemed to be holding his like a vice. Luckily it was at that moment that she awoke, and her grip lessened enough to enable him to get free. Sirius had rushed to her upon seeing her awake and was already questioning her, as Professor Dumbledore and Harry were heading over to look at Professor Snape and Draco's father.  
  
"Astounding," Professor Dumbledore was casting an appreciative eye at Draco, seeing that he had managed to capture not only Professor Snape, but Lucius Malfoy as well. Lucius was well known to be one of the most dangerous Death Eaters Voldemort had. "Do you mean to say, Draco, that you apprehended these two yourself?"  
  
Draco looked at Harry, who was also looking impressed, and tried not to sound too proud. "Yeah, well, I got lucky. When I got there, Father had his back to me, and I stunned him before he could turn completely around." No one seemed to know quite what to say, so Draco continued, "I thought I'd better bring him along. I know that he - " It wasn't family loyalty that made him leave that sentence unfinished, but the open admiration that seemed to be coming at him from all sides. Draco couldn't ever remember feeling liked before.  
  
Professor Deesia, who had, with Sirius' help, sat up in bed, looked rather crestfallen. "You have gotten yourself into a great deal of trouble just to help me, Draco." Draco began to be uncomfortable again. He didn't want her to get all mushy and embarrass him in front of everyone, but thankfully she fell silent.  
  
"Well, I wasn't planning to go home for Easter anyway," he said, smirking. Then he added, serious again, "What will you do with him?"  
  
It was Dumbledore who answered. "We will take him to the Ministry of Magic, and they will likely put him back in Azkaban." Draco looked at him in disbelief. Even Harry looked worried at this news.  
  
"But he broke out of there within a few months last time!" Draco exclaimed, "And I know he saw me! He'll be free to hunt me down in a week!" No one could contradict this, and Draco fell silent, looking angrily at the floor.  
  
Harry spoke up first, and Draco looked at him in shock. "You'll be safe at Hogwarts, no one here is going to let him get to you." Harry spoke vehemently, and Draco thought, for the first time, that maybe this was someone who'd be worth having on his side.  
  
"And something will be arranged for the summer, Draco. You will not have to go home. There are several wizarding families who will, I am sure, be happy to take you in." Professor Deesia smiled weakly at him, then sank a little lower into her pillows. Draco noticed as he smiled back that Professor Black was pushing her hair gently out of her eyes.  
  
Harry hoped that she didn't mean the Weasleys, who, he was sure, would be most UNhappy to take Draco in. Still, he couldn't help but think that it took a lot of guts for Malfoy to have taken on his father like that, and Snape to boot. After all, Malfoy didn't know that Snape wouldn't have really resisted, and Harry wasn't going to tell him. He'd had too many run- ins with the boy to trust him completely yet. What if he'd only turned in Lucius to gain their trust. After all, he knew he'd just break out again.  
  
Professor Dumbledore levitated both Lucius and Snape, explaining that he would be taking them to the Ministry immediately.  
  
"Professor, I'd like to talk to Lucius."  
  
"I don't think that would be wise just now, Professor Deesia," Dumbledore said gravely. Sirius, sitting beside her on the bed, gripped her shoulder with white knuckled hands. Muriel stared hard at the headmaster, whose gaze didn't falter. Finally, Muriel lowered her eyes and Dumbledore continued out of the ward. She was too weak to deal with a perturbed Lucius Malfoy today anyway.  
  
Madam Pomfrey came out of her office with a potion to ease the after- effects of the curse that Professor Deesia was still feeling. Harry wanted to talk over his suspicions with Sirius, but saw that he was engaged in a tense and hushed conversation with Professor Deesia, who paused, grimacing, to drink the purple liquid Madam Pomfrey offered her. Something told him it would be best not to interrupt. 


	13. Chapter 12 Straining Toward Friendship

Chapter 12 ~ Straining Toward Friendship  
  
Harry and Draco, feeling a bit weary from the night's excitement, left the hospital wing, eyeing one another warily. Neither one really knew what to say, so they kept quiet. Finally they reached the staircase that led to the Slytherin dungeon Common room, and Draco made to go.  
  
"Er, Malfoy?" Harry started, suddenly thinking an unpleasant thought.  
  
"Yeah?" Draco turned, wondering what insult Harry had finally decided to throw at him.  
  
"Did anyone else in your house stay over Christmas?" Harry looked uncomfortable now, and glanced apprehensively down the staircase.  
  
"Yeah, one fourth year I don't know and Crabbe, why?"  
  
"Well, isn't it possible that they've had an owl by now from their parents about," he paused, lowering his voice, "about what you did tonight? I mean, if you go down there, and they already know - " He didn't finish his sentence, but Draco had caught his meaning.  
  
Could Potter really be concerned about his safety, or was he implying that Draco couldn't take care of himself? He felt the old familiar pride welling up inside him. He'd just apprehended two of the worst Death Eaters anyone knew of, and he wasn't going to stand here and let Potter imply that he couldn't handle Crabbe! But as he looked back up at Harry, he decided to squelch his nasty retort. Instead he walked back up to the hallway. He noticed that Harry looked relieved. 'Saint Potter probably thought he'd have to come down there and save me,' Draco thought scathingly to himself. He was just on the point of turning back around to go to his common room when Harry spoke.  
  
"That really was something - catching Professor Snape and your dad." Harry sounded like he was really impressed. "How'd you do it, anyway?"  
  
"Well," Draco drawled, pleased to finally get to tell the whole story, "When Siri – er - Professor Black and Professor Deesia appeared in the hospital ward, and I heard her say that Snape was the only person who knew the counter curse, I borrowed their port key. Then I left the grounds and apparated home." Here he gave Harry a sidelong grin. "Father taught me how years ago, even though I won't be able to take the test until the end of the year. When I went into the house, someone was screaming. I'm not sure who that would have been, but it didn't look like it was either of them. They were talking in a corner of the study when I found them, and Father's back was to me, so I stunned him." Draco paused here, thoughtful.  
  
"I thought for a moment that I'd missed, because he turned most of the way around and looked at me before he fell over. Then I just had to worry about Snape. He didn't seem to have gotten his wand out very fast, so I was able to disarm him pretty easily. Then I just summoned both their wands and tied them up with vines. I forced them both to touch the port key at once, and we all ended up back in the hospital wing."  
  
Harry had remained quiet throughout this story. He thought he knew why Lucius had turned around before being stunned, but decided again that he wasn't really sure he trusted Malfoy with that information. So instead he said, "Wow, that was really good thinking, grabbing the port key. Otherwise I guess you would've had to drag them both all the way across the grounds!"  
  
Draco didn't get a chance to answer because at that moment Ron and Hermione came running around the corner, looking worried. They stopped short when they saw Harry and Draco. "Alright, Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"Alright, Ron," Harry answered. "Draco was just telling me how he saved Professor Deesia," Harry looked expectantly at Ron and Hermione, who were both polite enough to realize what he wanted them to say.  
  
"Er, yes, Sirius told us. How did you do it, Malf – er – Draco?" Ron did his best to sound friendly. Draco looked from Ron and Hermione to Harry and back again. Then he launched into the story again, suppressing the urge to add interesting details that hadn't occurred to him the first time. By the time he'd finished, they were most of the way back to the Hospital Ward, where Hermione and Ron had been directing them.  
  
"Found them," Hermione said, as they entered. Sirius was still with Professor Deesia, who'd fallen back to sleep. The ward was bustling around them with injured wizards and witches whom Harry guessed had just arrived from the Order of Phoenix headquarters. Harry went to check on Percy. He had left with Fred and George earlier that night to keep tabs on another of Voldemort's intended targets and apparently got hexed for his trouble. Now he was surrounded by Weasleys and looking rather sheepish. Harry stepped away, feeling like Percy should make up with his family in private. Instead, he joined Sirius.  
  
Draco, left for the moment with Ron and Hermione, was not sure where he should be. They found a quiet corner and sat down against the wall, watching Madam Pomfrey bustling to and fro among the injured. "What happened to all these people?" He asked finally.  
  
Ron and Hermione exchanged a significant look. "Well, we, er – that is, the Order of the Phoenix, had some information that You-Know-Who was going to kidnap some people, so they had other wizards trailing them. I guess they had some pretty rough duels trying to save them. It looks like most of them are going to be alright, though."  
  
"I imagine You-Know-Who isn't very happy about how things have gone tonight," Hermione added smugly. "I'm pretty sure they managed to protect everyone they knew about." At these words, Draco cringed, remembering the screams he'd heard when he was at the Malfoy mansion. Ron noticed.  
  
"What is it?" he asked.  
  
"Well, it's just that while I was home, I heard someone scream once or twice. It's possible that - "  
  
Hermione cut him off, shrilly. "You mean Voldemort was there when you fought with Lucius and Snape?" Draco and Ron cringed, and several of the wizards nearby were looking at them, horrified.  
  
"It sure seems like he might have been." Draco mumbled, feeling distinctly uncomfortable again, with all these eyes on him. 'Funny,' he thought to himself, 'that used to be what I wanted.'  
  
"Sirius had a really good idea," Harry said suddenly from right in front of Draco, who looked up again quickly. "Since we three are the only Gryffindors here, and Draco can't very well stay in Slytherin's dormitory, he said we should go and ask Firenze if we can camp out in the Divination classroom!" Draco felt his spirits lift slightly at the thought that he wouldn't have to go back down to the dungeons. Then Harry added, "Professor Sn - " he stopped abruptly, then said, "Er, one of the professors will bring your trunk up for you." Draco could see that Hermione and Ron were giving Harry a dirty look, but Harry shrugged it off, and just said, "You can come up with us while we get our stuff from Gryffindor tower."  
  
Draco, Ron and Hermione scrambled up from the floor to follow Harry. Draco saw him give Sirius a thumbs-up sign before they headed back downstairs, and felt a little jealous. He hadn't had much chance to talk with Sirius during the first term. "You guys are on a first name basis with the new Potions Master already?" He spoke in his usual condescending tone, and Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. Comments like that were usually followed by insults, and Harry wouldn't be easy to restrain if Malfoy started insulting Sirius. Ron winced when he added. "I guess that makes him either a mudblood or a blood traitor. Pity, he really seems to know his stuff."  
  
Hermione was about to speak up, but Harry threw her a warning glance and she closed her mouth. "He's a blood traitor, then," he answered quietly, "just like you." Draco and Harry both stopped walking, and Draco turned slowly toward him, his eyes cold. He smirked when he saw that Ron had already drawn his wand.  
  
"You can put that away, Weasel," he sneered. "I can't very well be mad at Potty when he's right, can I?"  
  
"Never stopped you before," Hermione muttered under her breath. Draco pretended not to hear her and turned back toward Firenze's classroom, leaving three surprised and relieved Gryffindors to follow him. He stopped outside the classroom door and knocked politely. Lucius hated centaurs, but Draco had always thought Firenze was interesting. He hadn't been foolish enough to say so, however, nor had he insulted him by asking if Hagrid had 'bred' him, so he got along with their professor better than most of the students.  
  
The door opened, and he walked into the wood, the moss springing under his shoes. Firenze was lying in the grass, a book held up to his face. A cauldron of water and basil was boiling over a campfire and it made the whole room smell sweet. Draco waited until Firenze had lowered his book, glad that at least the Gryffindor idiots had the sense to let him do the talking.  
  
"Sorry to disturb you Professor," he began. "Would it be possible for us to camp here in your classroom until school is back in session? There have been a few complications that prevent me from staying in my own dormitory, and the hospital wing is full."  
  
Firenze watched humorlessly as Ron, Hermione and Harry exchanged confused looks. They hadn't known that Malfoy was capable of being so polite. Of course, when Harry thought about it, he remembered that Draco had always been that way with Snape, and lately Professor Deesia as well.  
  
The centaur gracefully regained his feet and set his book on a tree stump. "It is finished, then, and I correctly interpreted the herbs. You have indeed chosen to join us. You are welcome to stay in my classroom for as long as you feel it necessary." Draco was the only one who didn't look surprised.  
  
"I have chosen. Thank you. We'll go now to get our things." He could feel the heat of their stares on the back of his neck as he turned and led them out of the classroom, which Firenze had already begun to enlarge to accommodate both classes and campers if necessary. Draco smirked, thinking how enraged Umbridge would have been at the sight of a centaur with a wand. Technically, that was illegal.  
  
"So that's it?" Ron asked, as the classroom door fell shut behind them. "You've changed sides just like that?" He was glaring at Malfoy as if he'd done something disgusting.  
  
"No, Weasley," Draco corrected, sounding weary. "I didn't change sides. I just finally came to a decision which side I was on." He turned to look at Ron. "Don't make me regret it already," he growled. He was amused to see that Harry had a restraining hand on Ron's arm to prevent him from drawing his wand. He smirked at the red head and turned back around. "Which way is Gryffindor tower?" he asked innocently. 


	14. Chapter 13 Still Straining

_AN: I'd like to apologize to everyone who's been following this fic. I got carried away writing back-history (which I hope you've taken the time to enjoy, as it is now posted in its entirety - 10 solid stories of it which you can find by clicking on Daintress (above). I understand many of you may have read this chapter before, when I was still struggling with how best to post this story, so I will be uploading 14 today as well. Thanks for sticking with me - I know I've pushed the limits on everyone's patience. But there's more to come, for sure, and it's all complete, and we're all caught up now. On with the show....._

**__**

**Chapter 13 - Still Straining**  
  
Draco followed them up several flights of stairs, wondering why, all of the sudden, Potter wanted to keep Weasley from hexing him. It would be a pity if baiting Weasley didn't result in anything more interesting than a conversation with Potter. Most of the fun he had at this place was because they were so easy to draw into duels.  
  
He stood looking at the picture of the fat lady. Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone up to their dormitories to get their things. Harry had even offered to let him come up. 'Probably to help him carry his trunk!' Draco thought to himself. But he had declined. He found himself wondering if, for the first time, he was going to be able to make a real friend. He was 16 years old now, and Gregory Goyle was the only friend he'd ever had. Lately he had started to wonder about him, though. He knew that they were both in the same boat, when it came to pressure to take the dark mark. He made a mental note to write to Goyle as soon as he could. He thought about talking to Crabbe as well, but decided against it. Crabbe got along a lot better with his dad than Draco and Gregory did with theirs.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when the portrait swung open. "Honestly, don't you two READ?" Hermione was asking in an incredulous voice. Draco smiled inwardly. 'No, they probably don't,' he thought. Hermione's trunk floated serenely behind her as she headed down the stairs. Draco looked after her a moment. She hadn't spoken to him at all except that little outburst in the hospital ward. Actually, he realized that was more of a general exclamation. She hadn't spoken to him at all.  
  
'Perhaps she's still upset about being called a mudblood for the last 5 years,' he thought to himself. He shook his head. What did he care if she didn't speak to him anyway? His thoughts were interrupted again as Harry and Ron came out, pitifully dragging their trunks behind them and making a lot of noise.  
  
Draco smirked. "Locomotor Trunk," he said lazily, pointing his wand at Potter's trunk, which lifted silently off the ground.  
  
Harry turned to look at him. Was that really Malfoy who had just helped him out? "Thanks, I guess I'd better remember that one." Ron performed the charm on his own trunk and the three boys followed Hermione down the stairs. When they arrived in the Divination classroom, Draco found that his trunk was already there. Four small tents had been set up as well.  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Tents?" he asked disdainfully. Hermione was the only one among them who had ever been camping in actual muggle tents. Harry and Ron had experienced tents that were like cottages inside at the Quidditch World Cup, but Draco had never been required to sleep outside. It was bad enough that he had to sit on the floor – er - ground during Divination.  
  
Again, Hermione turned to him and was about to say something when Harry's head turned sharply toward her and she stopped and thought better. Finally she spat, "We can find you something else if you want, Malfoy." Then she turned her back to him and lit the little pile of twigs that someone had placed between their tents, which were configured to face one another and the fire.  
  
He felt the heat rise to his face. Hadn't he already apologized to her?! Before he realized what he was doing he had his wand out. Ron was on top of him instantly and they both fell to the ground. He hadn't realized that Ron had gotten so tall in the last year. Ron got in one good swing before Harry pulled them apart. Draco sat up, rubbing his jaw. He'd had worse. Ron glared at him for a moment, then went to help Hermione.  
  
"Were you planning to hex her?" Harry asked quietly. Draco looked up at him and saw that the boy had picked up his fallen wand. He was twirling it dangerously between his fingers. Draco looked away and stood.  
  
"I wasn't planning to but I probably would have," he snapped. Harry nodded, his green eyes never leaving Draco. It made him very uncomfortable.  
  
"Maybe she wouldn't bait you so often if you'd try being nice to her. We didn't get along with her very well at first either, you know."  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes. If this git thought he was going to go out of his way to be nice to that filthy mudblood he had another thought coming. His anger seemed to melt, however, when Harry handed him back his wand. He took it distrustfully.  
  
"How was I supposed to know she'd take offense just because I don't like tents?" he whispered suddenly with a glance at Ron and Hermione, who were peeking into the tents. Harry's eyes widened. He had expected Draco to say something degrading about Hermione or possibly stomp off. He had definitely NOT expected him to be upset about offending her.  
  
"Hey Malfoy," Ron said suddenly, straightening up. "I guess you're in luck. These have been magically stretched and each one has a cot." Ron smirked. "It looks like your royal -"  
  
"Really, Ron? Let's see!" Harry cut him off loudly and headed over to the tents with a sideways glance at Draco. Ron was scowling at him, but he didn't care. He stuck his head into the tent Hermione had disappeared into. She was resting comfortably on her cot with a book already propped open in front of her.  
  
She looked up. "I'm staying in here until that conceited prat is asleep!" she hissed. Harry looked behind him to be sure Ron and Draco weren't already fighting, then went the rest of the way into the tent and sat cross- legged beside her cot.  
  
"I don't think he meant to be conceited this time, Hermione. Maybe he's just really never slept in a tent before." She was looking at him as though he'd turned purple and sprouted horns, but he continued. "I mean, he was raised by Lucius, it's going to take him some time to get passed that. He DID just send Lucius back to Azkaban."  
  
Hermione seemed to consider it, looking at him hard, but then she turned away and immersed herself in the book. Harry sighed and went back outside the tent. Ron and Draco were each sitting in front of a tent on opposite sides of the fire. Draco was writing and Ron was glaring at him through the flames.  
  
Harry went to the last remaining tent and forced his trunk inside. He took out the program from last year's Quidditch tournament and went to sit by Ron. He found out shortly that Ron wasn't speaking to him. But he'd seen him glancing at the program, so he set it down and walked over to Draco instead.  
  
"Who are you writing to?" He plopped down as Draco turned to look at him.  
  
He almost told him it was none of his business, but reminded himself that Harry had pulled Ron off of him a moment before. He rubbed his jaw unconsciously. "Goyle. He's the only person in that entire house that I don't want to see working for the Dark Lord." His voice was bitter. It wasn't easy to admit that he didn't care about any of his house-mates.  
  
"I thought Goyle couldn't read," Harry said without thinking. Across the fire, Ron sat up a little straighter, and Harry quickly looked the other way.  
  
To their surprise, Draco laughed. "I only said that to scare you into thinking you'd blown your cover." Harry was amazed at the change that came over the blond boy's face when he smiled a legitimate smile.  
  
"You mean you knew it was us?" Ron asked in spite of himself. "Why didn't you turn us in? Why would you have let us in your common room in the first place?"  
  
"Well," he began, "I was pretty impressed that you'd managed that potion at all, actually. I messed it up the first time I tried it. Besides, I wanted to know why you were impersonating Slytherins. Letting you question me was the only way I was going to find out." He looked at the amazed looks on their faces.  
  
"Honestly, you couldn't even give Pratty Percy the Perfect Prefect the right NAMES!" He exclaimed.  
  
Harry looked quickly at Ron, worried that he might be offended by Draco's name for Percy. Ron, however, only snorted, then got up to come and sit with them. Hermione stuck her head out of the tent, and Harry spoke up immediately. "Hermione made the potion, we only watched."  
  
"Of course she did, she's the best student in the school. I know, because Father kept track of her grades, and every time mine were worse than hers, he'd - " Draco stopped talking and looked back into the fire. "He'd be furious," he finished quietly. He snapped his head up suddenly and continued in his usual sneer. "I certainly didn't think either of YOU made it!" Harry and Ron were silent. They had both met Lucius Malfoy, and they could imagine what a man like that would consider adequate punishment.  
  
"No wonder you hate me," Hermione said quietly as Draco stared back into the fire.  
  
Suddenly he stood. "I'm going to bed," he said firmly. He hated the stillness, but knew he didn't really want to discuss his father either. He took his letter and lay on the cot, trying not to listen as the three friends whispered by the fire.


	15. Chapter 14 Owl Wars and Finding Dobby

**Chapter 14 - Owl Wars and Finding Dobby**  
  
Draco awoke before the others the next morning and took Gregory's letter to the owlery. He chose a snowy white owl that didn't look anything like his own, which was sitting on his shoulder, pecking at his ear. It wouldn't do for Mr. Goyle to know that the letter was from him. He swatted impatiently at his owl.  
  
"Grypes, cut it out! I can't use you for this." The snowy owl blinked at him and held still as he tied the letter to her outstretched leg, then took off into the morning sky. Draco's eagle owl clucked angrily at him and pecked his ear again hard before taking off up into the rafters. He held his bleeding ear and was about to go back downstairs when the door burst open again. The only remaining Slytherins at Hogwarts tromped into the owlery. Draco swiftly hid behind the door.  
  
He watched as Crabbe tied a letter to his owl and left again sniggering stupidly, followed by the younger student whose name Draco couldn't remember. When the door slammed shut behind him, Draco called Grypes back down from the ceiling.  
  
"Stop that owl, Grypes, and bring the letter back to me." The bird shrieked and flew off. Draco waited. Less than ten minutes later, Grypes came back with Crabbe's owl dangling limply in his claws. He dropped it on the floor at Draco's feet, and landed heavily on his shoulder. Draco grimaced. The owl was dead. He took the letter.  
  
"Drop it over the forbidden forest," he whispered, pointing at Crabbe's owl. When Grypes was gone again, he ran quickly to the Great Hall and grabbed a plate of fruit before heading back to the Divination classroom. The Gryffindors were already awake, but no one spoke to him as he sat down in front of his tent to read Crabbe's letter. When he'd finished, he tossed it angrily into the embers of their fire, where it caught flame quickly. He watched it burn, not noticing that Hermione had come over and sat down beside him until she reached up with a cloth to wipe his ear.  
  
Instinctively he grabbed her wrist hard, making her squeal. Ron stood abruptly. Draco let her go, and glared back at Ron. "Well it hurt!" he said finally as Ron sat back down.  
  
Hermione was laughing quietly and he turned toward her and took the cloth, pressing it firmly to his ear, as if to prove that he could handle the pain. This only made Harry laugh as well. He glared around at them for a moment, then ducked back into his tent. He fully intended to ignore them.  
  
"I guess ferret boy just can't take the pain," Ron said, causing Hermione to laugh even louder. Draco's wand appeared from the tent flap. An instant later a bright red squirrel appeared where Ron had been, and Hermione stopped laughing abruptly. Harry, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor and clutching his sides. Draco sat back down and smirked, pulling the cloth from his ear. It was drenched in blood. Grypes had really gotten him this time. There was probably a chunk missing. He figured he'd better go see Madam Pomfrey after all.  
  
Harry stuck his head into Draco's tent. "Yuck, we'd better get you up to the hospital wing! First, though, turn Ron back. Hermione doesn't know how and she's getting a bit anxious." Draco rolled his eyes and followed him over to where Hermione was trying to calm Ron down. He was running back and forth over her legs and chattering excitedly. Draco grabbed him and squeezed a bit, ignoring the creature's claws and teeth.  
  
"It could be worse, you know. You could be getting badly bruised while I bounce you around the room." The squirrel calmed down immediately and Draco smirked again. "I thought you'd see it my way." He let the squirrel fall heavily to the floor and waved his wand at it, stepping back. A moment later, Ron appeared, with a sulky look already on his face. "Not nearly as funny when it's you, is it Weasley?" Draco asked coldly. Without another word he turned and walked out, kicking his plate of fruit across the floor.  
  
Ron glared at Harry, who had only just managed to control his laughter. "What? You're the one who brought it up!" Harry said. He shook his head and got up to follow Draco.  
  
"Malfoy, wait!" Draco continued to walk quickly, keeping his face impassive as Harry caught up to him. "Why did you burn your letter to Goyle?"  
  
"I didn't. I burned Crabbe's letter to Goyle." Harry looked shocked, but Draco didn't much want to explain.  
  
"Did something happen in the owlery?" Harry asked finally. They were nearly to the hospital ward now. Draco didn't answer. Instead, he pushed open the door forcefully and let Madam Pomfrey clean up his ear.  
  
When they were alone in the corridor again, Harry following him silently, Draco told him the story of what had happened in the owlery. He omitted the fact that Grypes had killed Crabbe's owl, thinking that perhaps that would be more than Harry could stomach. It was almost more than he himself could stomach, to be honest.  
  
"What did his letter say?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
"It said to stay away from me, just like I told him to stay away from Crabbe." Draco said. "I'm lucky that I thought to use that white owl instead of my own, or Grypes wouldn't have been able to go after the letter for me." He saw Harry smiling. Hedwig was the only snowy owl in the school, so far as Harry knew. He thought it was ironic that Draco had unknowingly used his owl.  
  
"What?" Draco asked.  
  
"Nothing. I'm starving, and your breakfast is scattered all over the Divination classroom. Let's eat." Harry led the way to the Great Hall, but Ron and Hermione met them before they arrived.  
  
"Dobby brought us some breakfast, so we wouldn't have to eat in the Hall." Hermione said, smiling.  
  
"Dobby?! What's he doing here?" Draco asked in surprise. Ron's eyes were wide, and Hermione had put her hand over her mouth. She'd forgotten that Dobby had belonged to the Malfoys before he'd been freed by Harry.  
  
"He works here now, gets paid and everything," Harry said. He tried to keep from smirking. He didn't want Draco to think he'd freed Dobby out of spite. He had only been trying to help the poor elf.  
  
"Is he still there? Or has he gone back to the kitchens? You know how to get into the kitchens, don't you?" Draco looked at Hermione, who nodded slowly.  
  
"Well, yes, but - Dobby ran back to the kitchen pretty quickly. I'm not sure that he wants company today," she said delicately. She exchanged a glance with Ron. Neither of them thought that Dobby would want anything to do with Malfoy after the way he had been treated when he worked for Lucius. Draco caught the look and understood immediately.  
  
"You think I beat him like my father did," he said quietly. He turned sharply and went into the Great Hall. This time no one followed him.  
  
He sat down at the first available seat. It didn't matter to him which House's table it was. He took out a quill and quickly drew the Malfoy family crest on a red napkin. When he'd finished, he traced a small D in the upper left corner. Then, he placed it on a clean plate and cast a switching spell to send the contents of the plate down to the plate that was in the kitchen, one floor below. It was the same spell they used to clean the plates each night. He'd read about it in Hogwarts: A History. Then he waited. It was only a few minutes before Dobby ran into the Hall and took him by the hand.  
  
"Young master, you is not to be talking to Dobby, no you isn't! What will master be saying!"  
  
"It doesn't matter what father says, Dobby. I'm not going home anymore."  
  
Dobby squealed happily and prodded Draco to get up. He smiled wanly and followed the house elf to the kitchens. Dobby made sure that Draco had the best of everything, just as he had tried to do when he served the Malfoy family. Draco and Dobby had been two of a kind in that house. Both beneath Lucius' notice, and neither worthy of anything but contempt. It was nearly dinner time when Draco finally left the kitchen. He had a feeling that he would be spending a good bit of time there. House elves are pleasant company. They never accuse you of anything, and they're always happy to listen to anything you have to say. He had really missed Dobby when Potter had freed him.  
  
When he got back to his tent the others had already gone to the start of term feast and he was grateful. He lit the campfire and sat down to do the Potions essay that was due after the holiday. Classes started again tomorrow, after all, and Professor Black was turning out to be every bit as strict as Snape. He also showed a lot less favoritism. 


	16. Chapter 15 The Slytherins Respond

**Chapter 15 - The Slytherins Respond**  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way back to the Divination classroom to pack up their things. They were relieved to be going back to Gryffindor tower. Draco, however, was starting to think he might take Firenze's offer and stay in his tent for the new term. It was definitely going to be more dangerous in the dungeons now that the rest of his house had returned.  
  
"Hi Draco," Harry said as they came in the room. Draco looked up and furrowed his brow. He had hoped to finish his essay and get into his tent before they came back. He turned back to the parchment, but felt lousy for ignoring them.  
  
"Hi," he mumbled, dipping his quill again.  
  
"Draco, I'm sorry about thinking you were mean to Dobby," Hermione said quietly.  
  
Draco jumped to his feet and turned to face them, knocking over his ink in the process. "Look, mudblood...." The insult had barely left his mouth when he caught the look Harry was giving him from over her shoulder and changed his mind. He started again. "Granger, I...." But he didn't finish that sentence either. Harry was shaking his head.  
  
Draco's pressed his lips into a thin line in frustration. "FINE!" he said to Harry.  
  
"Hermione, it was nothing. Forget it." He sat back down hard and swore loudly when he saw that the ink had spilled all over his Potions essay, making it unreadable. Hermione kneeled down beside him.  
  
She picked up the dripping parchment and waved her wand at it. The extra ink disappeared, leaving only the words behind. Draco hadn't known there was a spell that could do that. "Thanks," he said quietly. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder as she stood and went to her tent.  
  
In the morning Draco was presented with a new problem. He met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione outside the Divination classroom. "Er - where do you think I should sit at breakfast?" he asked as they approached the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione were silent, not really knowing what to tell him. To everyone's surprise it was Ron who answered.  
  
"You'll sit with us," he said. His tone was so definite that Draco just nodded miserably, knowing what he was in for. As they approached the Gryffindor table he could feel the eyes of his fellow Slytherins on him.  
  
"Hang on, I have an idea. I've been wanting to do this for a good year now anyway." He turned and walked stiffly over to Pansy Parkinson and loudly demanded his ring back. This caused a hugely embarrassing scene for Pansy who shrieked at him loudly. In the end, Draco came back over to the Gryffindor table smirking. He sank down between Harry and Hermione as the morning's mail arrived.  
  
"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, through a mouthful of waffle. Neville Longbottom, sitting on the other side of Hermione, passed course schedules to her with a nasty look at Malfoy. When Draco looked at his, he was grateful to see that someone had gone and gotten him a course schedule from the Slytherin table. He looked up in time to see Ginny Weasley winking at him. He glanced back down quickly, blushing furiously.  
  
When they'd left the Great Hall, Draco headed for the Divination classroom to get his books. Ron followed him. "Something wrong, Weasley?" he asked. There was a trace of annoyance in his voice.  
  
He was half-afraid Ron was going to ask him why he'd been blushing, but to his surprise, Ron replied, "Well, we were talking about it and decided it would probably be best if you weren't alone in the hallways."  
  
Draco managed an inarticulate, "Oh," before ducking into the classroom to get his things. There was a thud followed by several shouted spells and an explosion.  
  
Ron started, then shoved his way into the classroom. The door didn't want to open because Blaize Zabini, covered in black dust, was lying face down against it. "Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted, aiming his wand at Crabbe, who was just about to curse Draco. Crabbe's wand flew out of his hand and Ron caught it deftly, thankful for all those secret DA meetings.  
  
Draco was doubled over several feet away. Ron, covering Crabbe with his wand, walked cautiously over to him and helped him straighten up. His robes were torn and there was a great gash in his side, as if someone had cut him with a sword. Keeping an eye on Crabbe, Ron muttered the healing spell he remembered Madam Pomfrey using on the cuts he'd received from a difficult wizard's chess game. The wound began to knit, but it must have been painful because Draco was grimacing horribly.  
  
Then Crabbe lunged at them. Ron turned in time to yell, "Impedimenta," causing the overly heavy boy to fall forward when his feet stopped moving. Crabbe grabbed at Draco's robes as he fell. Draco hardly thought before throwing back at him the hex that Crabbe had just finished using on him. A huge gash appeared on Crabbe's left arm, the one that had come closest to Draco's face. As Crabbe howled, holding his arm and struggling to prop himself up against the wall, three other Slytherin students came out from behind trees on the other side of the classroom.  
  
"Let's go," Ron yelled, and he and Draco took off, pulling the door shut behind them. They had to hide in an empty classroom for a few moments before they were sure they could make it to their class. They opened the door to the Potions classroom, and headed for where Harry and Hermione were sitting in the back.  
  
"So kind of you both to make an appearance today," said an oily voice from the front of the room. Ron looked up to see Professor Snape, whose lips were curled into an ugly parody of a smile. Draco turned, but took several hasty steps backward, stumbling over someone's bag of books. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your tardiness, and you will both see me after class." At this remark, someone tutted loudly. Draco was relieved to see that Sirius was sitting, off to the side a bit, behind Professor Snape.  
  
"Really, now, Severus, you can hardly take points from Gryffindor and not Slytherin. Mr. Malfoy is, after all, in your house." He had a pleasant look on his face, but his voice was hard. Professor Snape chose not to answer, so Sirius took the points from Slytherin himself. Then he excused himself and went to stand just outside the classroom door. Professor Snape taught the entire lesson with the furious tone of voice that he usually reserved for handing out detentions. He purposely ignored the whispers from the back of the classroom as Draco and Ron filled Harry and Hermione in on what had happened.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their hands full trying to help Draco fend off his fellow Slytherins. Once, even Ginny had been caught by Filch hexing a Slytherin third year in the hallway. Before she left for detention that night, she told Hermione that she'd only done it because she'd heard him plotting to curse Draco after the next class. 


	17. Chapter 16 Truth Revealed

**Chapter 16 - Truth Revealed  
**  
The snow had finally melted, and it was almost time for the fifth Quidditch match of the season, Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff. The whole school was out on the pitch, except for Draco Malfoy, who'd faked an illness so he wouldn't have to play. Madam Hooch had sent him to the hospital wing, and he pushed the door open to go inside, then blinked several times, not believing his eyes.  
  
Professor Snape was sitting quietly with his chair pulled up to a bed in which sat a very perturbed Professor Deesia. She was scolding him rather thoroughly, but he just sat gazing at her with a mildly amused expression on his face.  
  
"You might have warned me about the after-effects when we hatched this plan, Severus," she said. Draco noticed that in spite of her annoyed tone of voice her hand was resting in Snape's. "Every month on the day for exactly how long?" she asked.  
  
"It will probably only happen once more. I was under the curse a good deal longer than you were. For me it was half a year before it quit." Snape looked a bit grim at this pronouncement, but his expression flickered immediately to anger as he looked up and saw Draco. He stood up abruptly and headed toward him.  
  
Snape dragged Draco by the arm and deposited him roughly in the chair he himself had just left. Professor Deesia looked a bit pale, and Snape looked furious, but at whom, Draco couldn't tell. He was feeling very confused, but he knew from dealing with his father that the worst thing he could do was ask, so he kept still and waited. It was obvious that either Professor Deesia was a spy or Professor Snape was, and it wouldn't do to start talking until he knew which of these was the case.  
  
It was Professor Deesia who spoke first. "Well, Draco, I can tell that you are a bit concerned to find Severus and I here talking like old friends. It might ease your mind a bit to know that we grew up together, and have been friends most of our lives." She was smiling at him, and Draco, though still confused, decided to risk a question.  
  
"But didn't he use the worst curse on you that he could come up with?"  
  
"Actually, no. I'm surprised you didn't glean it from the conversation Sirius had with Madam Pomfrey that night. I used the curse on him. He merely rebounded it to me. I failed to block it, and you saw the result." She was looking at him shrewdly now, and the pieces fell into place suddenly.  
  
"Then, you let it hit you so that I would see and bring him here?" His voice was incredulous, but as he continued he grew more certain. "And I DIDN'T stun Father, did I?" He turned to face Snape, who still looked rather ferocious. "You stunned him when he started to turn around! So you were the spy who told the Order that Voldemort was going to kidnap all those people!" Snape cringed, but nodded.  
  
"But why? Why did you need me? They could have just taken you back with them when they came here with the port key." He was less sure of himself now, and starting to feel as though he'd been tricked.  
  
It was Professor Snape who responded this time. "Mr. Malfoy, certainly you do not think that anyone among us wanted you to follow in your father's footsteps. Or did you think that no one would know that he was pressuring you to submit to his master?"  
  
Draco, who'd been pacing as he talked, sank back down into the chair. "How did you know about that?" he muttered. "I didn't even tell Crabbe and Goyle, although Crabbe already has his mark, I saw it when we were dueling." He looked up quickly, remembering that he and Ron had only told Sirius about that incident. A pained expression had crossed Snape's face, which he quickly replaced with his usual sneer.  
  
"Professor Black," he responded, spitting out the name as though it were a foul tasting bug, "mentioned the incident to me after that class." Draco could see that whatever side Snape was on, he still did not like Sirius, who'd been following him around almost continually since Christmas. Sirius stood guard outside potions lessons and sat between Professor Snape and Professor Deesia at each meal. Draco had thought this was because Snape couldn't be trusted to stay put, but saw now that it was only a charade they'd been playing for the benefit of the Slytherins whose parents answered to Voldemort.  
  
"Remarkably insightful thinking, Draco," Professor Deesia said, smiling again. "We didn't want to ruin Severus' cover. If he should escape again," her eyes twinkled now, and Draco saw that this must be their plan, "we want them to welcome him back." Snape and Draco each suppressed a shudder, knowing that Voldemort's idea of a warm welcome wasn't something they ever wanted to experience. But Draco was now looking at Snape with something akin to awe. It had never occurred to him that someone might be brave enough to do what he'd been doing. At this point a new thought intruded in Draco's mind and he lurched back out of the chair.  
  
"But Harry and Ron must have known all this," he said suddenly. "They knew and they didn't tell me, they just let me tell the whole story and acted like they really thought I was brave and everything!"  
  
"They were right not to tell you. We were all still rather wary of telling you anything right away, and it's better that you found out from the people who were really involved." Professor Deesia looked concerned to see him so upset.  
  
"They've been laughing at me this whole time," he continued, ignoring her. "They're probably outside right now talking about what a dunce I am, and how nothing I did was really that dangerous."  
  
He was almost shouting now. Professor Deesia glanced helplessly at Snape, who knew at once that nothing she said would calm him. So he said it himself, looking as though the words were being extracted from him with pliers. "Malfoy, master yourself," he spat. "You are aware, as I am, that what mattered most to them was that you were willing to do it, not whether or not you were actually in danger. You must realize that we had planned for you to be in as little danger as possible." He fell silent for a moment, remembering Macnair's screams. "Not that it worked, however."  
  
Draco, who appeared to be remembering the same thing, was nodding. Snape continued. "Lucius was supposed to be out, but he fought off Moody much more quickly than any of us expected. And - " Snape paused here, looking to Muriel as if for permission to continue. She nodded. "And none of us could have foreseen that the Dark Lord himself would be using the Malfoy mansion as headquarters. The information I had put him at the Goyle residence. When you arrived, however, he was occupied upstairs. You were in far more danger than any of us had ever intended."  
  
They heard the sound of students shuffling past outside the door, and it wasn't long before Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came into the room, looking first startled and then relieved to see their professors already talking calmly with Malfoy. Draco, however, looked a little sheepish, remembering all the nasty things he'd just said about them. But they were all grinning, and it wasn't long before they headed down to the Great Hall for dinner, talking about the Quidditch match.  
  
Professor Deesia, having had another draught of purple liquid, addressed Snape. "Are you sure you have to go back so soon?" She sounded worried, but he ignored it.  
  
"I have been in touch with the Dark Lord through young Mr. Crabbe. I believe he is convinced of my loyalty, though I am sure it will have to be proven when I return." He saw that she had turned a pale shade of green at his words, and continued in haste, "Muriel, no heroics! I don't want you rushing to my aid. As I am reminded daily, you lost a great deal helping me the last time." This last sentence was said with such venom that Muriel could only look at her hands.  
  
"That, she did," said a carefully restrained voice from the doorway. Sirius came inside and closed the door carefully behind him. "Having your tearful goodbye, then?" he asked, the look on his face something between anguish and fury.  
  
Snape turned to him slowly, raising his wand as he did so. "Perhaps you wish it were you she was lamenting?" he snarled. Sirius had raised his wand as well.  
  
"Would both of you just leave off!" Muriel was near tears, and neither of the men was really eager to make her cry. They were silent, but looked as though they'd dearly love to be hexing one another's ears off. They turned at the sound of bare feet hitting the floor. Muriel, in a purple flannel dressing gown, had climbed out of bed and now had her wand in hand, a playful but determined look on her face. "I've changed my mind," she said, matter-of-factly, "you two can just stay right there and work this out."  
  
"Accio wands," she said forcefully, causing both their wands to fly into her outstretched hand. "Impedimentia indefinatus," she said. Her voice was triumphant as Sirius let out a groan and Severus hissed, looking angrily at her. She made to leave, but turned at the doorway, "You can stand there and stare at one another until I get back, which will be after lunch, or you can use the time to do something constructive. I don't care, but either way I will be keeping your wands until that time." The door clicked closed behind her, and they looked at one another with similar helpless expressions.  
  
"Merlin, I love her," Sirius said finally, dropping his face into his hands. Severus raised both eyebrows, which gave him an expression almost like pity, and sank down to the ground to sit cross-legged. He couldn't move forward or turn away, but he could at least be at ease.  
  
When Sirius looked up again, Severus was careful to keep his face impassive. Sirius sat as well, trying to look at anything but the man in front of him. He had so many reasons to hate him: He'd caused Mur a great deal of pain; he'd tried to turn Sirius over to the dementors in spite of evidence of his innocence; he'd been horrible to Harry. But mostly Sirius hated him because Mur had put Severus before him, and before herself. The man in front of him was the reason he'd been alone for the last 15 years. 


	18. Chapter 17 A Civil Conversation

**Chapter 17 - A Civil Conversation**  
  
Sirius was startled when Severus spoke suddenly in a voice that didn't seem his own. His eyes snapped forward again at the sound. "She caught me with this one once when we were young," Severus said softly. He didn't look up. "She left me in the woods for 6 hours in the rain. When she finally came back to release me I was drenched, and had the worst case of the sniffles I'd ever gotten."  
  
"What did you do to deserve that?" In spite of himself, Sirius was interested. Muriel had never told him about her childhood. 'Probably because I became hostile every time she mentioned Severus,' he reminded himself. Severus, after all, had been present for her entire childhood. Sirius had only seen her at their parents' parties.  
  
A queer look came over Severus' face, as if it pained him to think about it. "I told her that if she kept reminding me that she was a girl, I wasn't going to play with her anymore." He looked up at Sirius. "We were only seven years old," he added, to explain the childishness of it. He looked away again quickly. There was a lot more to the story, but it wouldn't do to tell it to the one she loved.  
  
Sirius laughed shortly. He himself had been on the receiving end of a good many of her hexes, and he could imagine the fury Snape had unwittingly brought upon himself. "That summer she stayed with me, right after fifth year, she threw me across the yard because she thought I'd enchanted her bedroom mirror to store images."  
  
"Did you?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"No," Sirius smiled a very tentative smile. "It did store images, but I didn't charm it. And she cleared the good ones before I got to go in and look. The only one she left was of herself performing a muggle hand- gesture that I think Lily must have taught her. But of course, that summer was the last time I set foot in that room until we opened it back up for the Order, so I didn't see it until just two years ago." His smile was gone. "And by then I hated her. I broke the mirror." He was practically whispering now. They were back to the topic that neither of them could come to terms with. There was a long silence.  
  
"I went to Dumbledore that night." Severus wanted Sirius to know that he hadn't wanted Muriel to be banished either. "I thought if I turned myself in that I could get her back out of trouble. I had no idea Dumbledore would want me to become a double agent instead." As he spoke he could see the man he faced turning red, as though something inside him was coming to a boil.  
  
It was at this moment that Madam Pomfrey bustled into the room. She stopped short at the sight of two grown men sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing one another. They looked up at her, and Severus jumped to his feet. Sirius felt himself calming. He could finally get out of here.  
  
Severus explained the counter spell as the nurse looked from one wizard to the other, trying to gauge what they would do if she let them go. After a few moments' hesitation, she performed the spell. Sirius pulled himself wearily to his feet and Severus headed immediately toward the door.  
  
"Snape?" Sirius was looking at him with a bit of a smirk, which reminded Severus unpleasantly of their encounters as students. He turned, but didn't answer. "She's bringing your wand back HERE, isn't she?"  
  
Severus swore quietly and came back into the room, collapsing into a chair to wait. He eyed Sirius warily as he, too, sank into a chair. They sat in silence for several minutes, not looking at one another. Finally Sirius spoke.  
  
"If she left you in the rain for 6 hours because of a childish insult, what did you do that made her cast the enhanced Crucio spell on you?" Sirius was still looking toward the door, as though willing Muriel to come through it so that this could all be over.  
  
Severus sighed. He had wanted to avoid discussing this with Black, but there wasn't any graceful way out of it now. He hoped Muriel wouldn't be too angry. "When we were children, our parents fussed over us a good bit. Our mothers kept telling us that we'd grow up and get married. Mur took it a little more to heart than I did. We were 9 years old, swimming in a lake behind our houses. She came up with a bunch of seaweed all over her and I laughed. Then she got the bright idea to enchant it to make it look like lace. She liked the way it looked in her hair. Pretty soon she had made herself a veil, and she wanted to pretend we were getting married." He looked up to see that Sirius was staring at him intently.  
  
"I told her that I didn't want to pretend that, because I wasn't ever going to marry her anyway. She got very huffy and said something like, 'but don't you love me?' and I, of course, let her know in no uncertain terms that I did NOT love her, and if she insisted on continuing to ask me these ridiculous questions I would never speak to her again."  
  
"Papa, er - her father, had given her all his old Arithmancy books a few years previous, and she'd long since learned how to string more than one spell together, so she tried casting the worst thing she could think of. It took me the rest of that year to figure out that she was only trying to hurt me as much as I hurt her."  
  
"When she realized what she'd done, and that she didn't know the counter spell, she levitated me home. My parents wouldn't let her in the house. Mother was furious. She spent every moment at my bedside going through books looking for a counter spell. But Father wouldn't let her in because he knew she'd be the most likely to come up with a cure. He saw it as an opportunity to punish me without incurring my mother's displeasure." Severus looked up to see a look of understanding in Sirius' eyes that he hadn't expected.  
  
Sirius, for his part, was surprised at how accurately that described what his family would have done, only his father would have looked for a cure and his mother would have been the one to gloat. He nodded for Severus to continue.  
  
"At first the pain was awful, but it wasn't long before I felt it lessen a bit, and realized that she was there with me, in my head. I could almost see her, and we could talk to one another. She was trying to block the pain so I could think. She wanted to help me find the counter spell. It took two days, but I finally came up with it."  
  
"Mother wouldn't let me out of the house for another week or so, and father wouldn't let her into the house, but every evening I could hear her in my head, apologizing, asking me to forgive her. As soon as I could, I went over to her house. I expected her to answer the door, as she always did, bouncy and happy to see me. Instead, Papa took me up to her room. She looked worse than I did. He whispered to me in the hall that she hadn't slept or eaten the entire time I was sick, even after I found the counter curse." He paused again, looking up at Sirius, who hadn't moved.  
  
"I had my father formalize our betrothal that summer. I had come to realize that no one, not my mother or father, or any relative; not any other friend I would make would ever care for me like that. It was that day that I swore I'd never let anything hurt her that badly again. Ironically, that is the reason I lost her. I took Occlumency lessons from Papa to try to protect her from what I was learning about Voldemort and the Death Eaters."  
  
Sirius felt deflated, as though everything he'd ever believed was suddenly proven untrue. He'd thought Severus had stolen the woman he loved when she'd been sent away for letting him escape. He'd hated him for that. But the truth was that he had stolen her from Severus in the first place. She'd loved him. "I didn't know," he said quietly.  
  
It was then that the door swung open and they both turned to look at Muriel. Snape immediately stood and took the wand she was offering. He saw that she had polished it and probably tested it as well. "I'm out of time, I have to go now if I hope to be off the grounds in time to meet them." There was no hint of annoyance in his voice, though Muriel knew that she'd cut it close.  
  
"Good luck," she said simply. Snape nodded to Sirius, then left without another word. Sirius held out a hand to Muriel, who was already crying. "He won't come back this time, Sirius," she said quietly. 


	19. Chapter 18 Abducted

**Chapter 18 - Abducted **

**April 2007**  
  
Draco Malfoy sat with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny in an upstairs bedroom at Sirius' home, playing exploding snap and eating the chocolate frogs that they'd saved from their last Hogsmeade visit. The Easter holiday had begun, and since most of Slytherin House had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holiday, Professor Dumbledore had decided that Order Headquarters was the best place for them all.  
  
The months since Snape's second departure hadn't been easy. Draco suddenly found himself to be the pariah of Slytherin, and without a Head of House to keep his housemates in line, things tended to get out of hand. Sirius and Muriel had been a great deal of help, but most of the skirmishes seemed to fall on the Gryffindors he'd despised for so long. He'd told them about staying at Headquarters last summer, and shown them his attic bedroom as proof. He and Hermione still fought once in a while, but the words mud blood and ferret seemed to be universally off limits. Since Ron had helped him with the Slytherins in the divination classroom, the two had fallen into an uneasy camaraderie as well. But he was finding that he had the most in common with Harry. Professor Deesia, who only insisted on her formal title in class, had begun teaching him Occlumency as soon as Professor Snape disappeared again. Harry and Draco had fallen to practicing on one another, and both had been more than a little surprised at what they'd learned.  
  
"Look at this," Draco said suddenly, handing Harry the Famous Wizard card that he'd just opened.  
  
Harry laughed out loud, then scrambled up from the floor and said, "Come on!" Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, but couldn't help laughing as Harry and Draco found Sirius, in the kitchen. They thrust the card at him, demanding to know why he hadn't told them about it! Sirius laughed too, passing the card to Ron, who said, "Bloody hell," before handing it on to Hermione and Ginny. Hermione let out a little squeal of delight.  
  
"When did you start appearing on Chocolate Frog cards, Sirius?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I haven't yet, they sent me some before they started selling them and I put a few in your stash," he replied, grinning. "I thought you'd get a kick out of that." They headed back upstairs, still laughing.  
  
"Hey," Sirius called after them, "did you get those Potions essays done yet?" He heard them groan as they tromped away. He didn't want to take a bunch of points from Gryffindor for them not having their homework done.  
  
Sirius checked his reflection in a mirror in the hallway as the doorbell rang. 'Well,' he thought ruefully, 'I'm not exactly dashing, but definitely better than this time last year.' "Harry!" He called up the stairs, "I'm going out for a bit, Remus will be here any minute, so behave yourselves and stay put!" He pulled open the door. Muriel was standing outside, looking flustered. "Ready to go?" he asked with what he hoped was a charming grin.  
  
"What are you up to?" she asked immediately. But she let him lead her down the street, walking hand in hand like any muggle couple in the world. He handed her a chocolate frog, feeling at once proud and ashamed of himself. 'If Remus ever saw me stooping to a low trick like this to get a girl - ' He snorted a bit, thinking of what his friend would say.  
  
Muriel knew what the chocolate frog contained before she opened it. She had, after all, arranged for them to meet with Sirius and take his picture for it only a few months before. Nevertheless, she was careful to say all the right things, and was rewarded as Sirius beamed at her. They walked on in silence for a while, enjoying one another's company before Muriel spoke again.  
  
"Sirius, let's go to Diagon Alley. It just occurred to me that Draco's birthday will be coming up, and I'd like to get him something." Draco already had a very nice eagle owl, she knew, but his broom was rather outdated and she'd been thinking of getting him a new one.  
  
Sirius was glad for the excuse to extend their time together and agreed. They passed a pleasant afternoon shopping, though Muriel was careful not to mention Severus at all. They even ran into a few old friends who hadn't seen Muriel yet. And although he wasn't too happy about sharing her, Sirius enjoyed watching her as she talked animatedly with a lady who'd been in Ravenclaw with her. He even stood by patiently as she chatted with the old wizard in Flourish and Blotts about her book, which he had recently begun selling, having heard that Fudge approved of her return.  
  
As they came out of the bookstore they were met by a very worried looking Remus. "Sirius, Mur, you've got to come, Harry and the others are gone and it looks like the house has been ransacked!" He was breathing heavily and Sirius realized with a shock that neither he nor Muriel had told anyone where they were. It had taken Remus all day to find them! They all apparated instantly and returned to Grimmauld place. The house was in ruins.  
  
"You don't think Draco would have - ?" Remus asked darkly.  
  
"Of course not," snapped Sirius, "we've just renewed the Fiddaleus Charm since Christmas, only Dumbledore could have told."  
  
"And he wouldn't have told on purpose," Muriel added, looking worried. They'd just decided it would be best to leave, as the Headquarters was no longer safe, when Snape appeared. He looked around the house and swore vehemently. Muriel rushed over to him, looking very pale.  
  
"He's got Dumbledore and the others at Hogwarts. That's why the Slytherins were all staying. He told everyone but me." The sour expression he always wore was replaced momentarily by something that was almost fear. Then his usual sneer snapped back into place. He produced the port key that Sirius had used so long ago to take Muriel to the hospital ward. "Good luck," he said, and vanished.  
  
"Remus," Sirius barked, "go and find the Weasleys, all of them." He turned to Muriel, " we'll need the Aurors for this could you - " he didn't finish asking because she was already gone. Remus vanished as well, and Sirius grabbed the port key that Snape had left on the table.  
  
He found himself behind a curtain in the hospital ward that he could only assume Snape had pulled to help hide him. There were voices coming from Madam Pomfrey's office, and Sirius filled with indignation as he realized that several Slytherin students were holding the medi-witch at bay. He swallowed, and made his way quietly out, knowing that his first task had to be to get to Harry and the others.  
  
He made his way up to the Headmaster's office, whispering the password as quietly as he could, then stepped onto the staircase. As he was taken upward, he transformed into the great black dog that he had been the first time Harry saw him. As soon as he was close enough to the top he jumped silently up to hide behind a large bookcase. He looked around.  
  
Dumbledore was in his own chair, his head lolling back and his eyes closed. Sirius was sure that he'd been given some kind of potion, and wondered briefly if Snape had provided it. He squelched the thought as Voldemort spoke, coming down the right hand set of stairs to face Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco, who were all wearing identical expressions of revulsion.  
  
"Well, it has been quite some time since we've chatted, hasn't it?" His voice was without warmth, and he cackled mirthlessly before continuing. To everyone's surprise he addressed himself to Draco. "You have served me well," he said, in a gracious voice, as though he was rewarding him, "You may go." The others stared in disbelief as Lord Voldemort released Draco from the binding spell that had been holding him. Draco didn't move.  
  
"What do you mean?" His voice trembled, but he never turned his eyes away, and Voldemort seemed to consider him before his mocking voice rang out again.  
  
"Did you imagine I would let you leave the Malfoy mansion with my most loyal follower if I didn't know that you'd be of some use to me?" He laughed his high-pitched, cold laugh, and Sirius shuddered involuntarily. He needed to get closer to them.  
  
"Your ring, boy," Voldemort spat suddenly at Draco, "Perhaps you assumed your father gave it to you out of love?" At this Draco blanched, looking down at his ring, which seemed to be a brighter color of red than he remembered. He looked back up, still confused.  
  
But Hermione was whispering, "Oh no, it must have had an escryvian charm on it!"  
  
"What a clever girl!" Voldemort exclaimed mockingly. He turned back to Draco. "Indeed, and your father had the presence of mind to pass his ring into my keeping so that I could see whatever you were seeing." Draco sank to the floor in shame and fear as Voldemort raised his wand. "Now you will do what you were born to do. You will obey me!"  
  
As he flicked his wand, Sirius, in human form again, stepped out from behind the bookcase, shouting, "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort's wand flew from his hand, and he took a step backward. Sirius looked over to see that Draco had picked up the fallen wand. There was a very tense silence as everyone wondered whether Voldemort's curse had hit him or not. Would he turn on them?  
  
Then a slow smile spread across his face, and he pointed the wand at Voldemort. "Reversa Escryvia!" he said in a clear voice. Nothing happened, but Draco was grinning widely now, and Voldemort, to everyone's surprise, was grasping at his finger. His ring seemed to have attached itself permanently, though he tried desperately to pull it off.  
  
Draco turned to release his friends, but was interrupted by several things happening at once. Severus appeared at the top of the staircase, flanked by Muriel, Arthur Weasley, Moody, and Kingsley just as several cloaked and hooded death eaters shattered the windows and rushed down the opposite staircase. The curses flew everywhere, and Sirius screamed to Draco to get himself and the others out. Draco released their bonds, and the five underage wizards crawled to the staircase, running at full tilt toward the hospital wing. Draco was still carrying Voldemort's wand.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had managed to subdue her captors, and they nearly ran into her in the hallway. She listened to their jumbled news, then hurried off to find more reinforcements. "We can't just STAND here," Ginny said, stamping her foot in frustration.  
  
"We can watch what happens," said Draco, his voice wavering. He took off his ring and held it in front of them, each of them placed a finger on it, and the world shifted. They were looking through the eyes of Lord Voldemort, and things looked grim indeed. Dumbledore still sat, slumped, in his chair. Several Death Eaters were already down, and Kingsley was having a fine time of it with Avery, who'd just tripped on the stairs. They watched as Kingsley bound him and took his wand, kicking him down the stairs and out of the way of anyone who might think to set him free again.  
  
Arthur Weasley had a large cut on his arm, which reminded Ron of the curse Crabbe and Malfoy had been using on one another, but he seemed to be blocking curses fine now, though his hair was wet with the sweat of concentration. "But we can't hear anything!" Ron was looking worried, and Hermione had her hand on his shoulder. With a jabbing motion from Mr. Weasley his opponent fell down, a blank look on his face. The nose in front of their eyes twitched, and they realized that Voldemort must have spoken. The stunned man's wand flew into Voldemort's hand, and it seemed like everyone turned to look at him again.  
  
The door to the Hospital ward banged open and several more Aurors from the ministry interrupted them, demanding to know where everyone was. Harry led the way back to Dumbledore's office, and gave them a detailed description about what was going on. But before he could finish speaking the password, Arthur and Sirius pushed their way out, supporting Muriel.  
  
"Kingsley's gone, go in there and BRING SNAPE OUT!" Sirius shouted, sounding wilder than Harry had ever heard him. Only moments later the Aurors came out, levitating Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Kingsley, who was covered in a sheet.  
  
"They're gone, the room's deserted," one of the Aurors said. He was obviously speaking to Sirius, though his eyes were on Muriel, who was just starting to come around after being stunned. Her eyes had a haunted look.  
  
"Where are they, have they gone?" She asked. Her breath was coming in gasps, and Sirius was afraid she might hyperventilate.  
  
"They've gone. We've got to get these three to St. Mungo's," he said as he helped her to stand.  
  
"Severus!" she exclaimed, stumbling forward. He was shaking violently on the weightless stretcher, and he was definitely unconscious. "Oh, no," she said quietly. Sirius asked her what it was, and she shook her head. "Voldemort must have managed to get inside Severus' mind after all. That's the only way he could have known." She looked helplessly at Sirius. "You recall that I mixed Crucio with the everstick spell? Well, it looks like Voldemort's done me one better. He mixed a stunning spell with it too, so Severus can't even wake up long enough to perform the counter curse. No one knows the counter curse but him, Sirius!" She swore loudly as the tears started to pour unbidden from her eyes. She knew the kind of pain he was in.  
  
"Surely someone at the hospital will be able to come up with a counter curse or an antidote. Let's move." Sirius was already leading the way downstairs, Harry and Ron beside him.  
  
They finally reached St. Mungo's hospital and forced their way in through the visitor's entrance. Several healers seemed to come out of no where to help them into beds. Muriel and Sirius sat with Snape while several healers tried everything they could think of to counter the hex. Nothing worked, and he continued to moan and shiver in his sleep.  
  
Professor Dumbledore was revived rather quickly, and soon joined them, wearing a thin hospital dress, but the warmest, woolliest socks Harry had been able to find for him. He winked his thanks as he passed Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco on his way into Professor Snape's room. They quit whispering long enough to smile and nod at him, then resumed their conversation.  
  
"Draco, it isn't your fault," Hermione said for the hundredth time. Draco had hardly spoken at all since they'd left Hogwarts. "You couldn't have known there'd be an escryvian charm on that ring when Dumbledore told you about Headquarters!"  
  
"She's right, mate," Ron added, looking ruefully at the blood red ring that was still on Draco's finger.  
  
"That's it!" Draco exclaimed suddenly, startling them into silence. He wrenched open the door to Professor Snape's room and ran inside. With almost idle grace he swished the wand, and muttered a long string of Latin that no one could follow. Snape sat straight up and his eyes opened very wide. He let out a scream that wrenched everyone's ears. But then he stopped, and fell back onto the bed, panting.  
  
Everyone was looking at Draco again, and he felt his ears get hot. Hermione was whispering something to Ron, who exclaimed, "Bloody brilliant!" and fell silent. Draco looked back at them, and Hermione looked expectant. She wanted him to explain.  
  
"When I was really young my father put a picture of Voldemort up in a back room in our house. Mother was furious, but when she tried to take it down, she found he'd used an everstick spell on it. We looked through every book in the house. It took us three weeks to find it, and it was really complicated. It's a wonder I remembered it at all." He shrugged, not willing to go into the changes he'd had to make in the spell to alter it for the purpose. When he looked up, he saw that Professor Snape was holding out an arm. He went forward to take it and was surprised along with everyone else when Snape pulled him into a hug.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," he said, releasing him. Draco, looking both relieved and somewhat pink, headed back into the hallway with the others. He turned to close the door behind him, but heard Sirius ask Muriel and Professor Dumbledore for a moment to talk with Professor Snape. He opened the door again for them, and they all headed upstairs to find the tearoom. With Dumbledore awake and Snape no longer in pain, things were starting to seem normal again. As they passed the ward for serious spell damage, Hermione stopped.  
  
"We should go in and see Professor Lockhart," she said timidly. "Remember what the nurse said last time we were here, Ron? He doesn't get any visitors, only fan mail." Ginny and the boys made faces at one another but followed her inside. They spent a pleasant quarter hour with an insufferably happy Lockhart, helping him address his fan mail.


	20. Chapter 19 Goodbye

**Chapter 19 - Goodbye **

**April - June 2007**

"Severus," Sirius Black wondered just what he could say to the man he'd always thought of as his rival in everything. "I just want you to know that I appreciate what you did back there. There was no reason you had to take that curse for me. It could have been - " he paused, then continued delicately, "anything."

Severus looked almost sorry for Sirius throughout this speech. When he fell silent Severus thought for a moment and replied, "I thought it was," here he mimicked Sirius' pause, "anything. That's why I stepped in front of it, to tell you the truth." At this, Sirius looked up in alarm. But Severus' old sneer was back in place. "Not that I want to die, Black, don't get your hopes up."

Sirius was surprised to find himself grinning, realizing, perhaps for the first time, that Snape meant for that tone of voice to sound intimidating even though it was utterly harmless. Severus fixed Sirius with a penetrating gaze. "What kind of a friend to her would I be if I let anything happen to you?" Sirius didn't know what to say to this, considering the number of times Snape had tried to cause him harm, so he nodded mutely and left the room.

School was back in session only a few days later. Professor Snape was back to terrorizing students in Potions classes, although without Sirius following his every move. Professor Deesia, thoroughly pleased with Harry's Occlumency abilities, had reported to Dumbledore that she thought he'd had enough and could defend himself sufficiently. This made the rest of the school year much more enjoyable, and not just for Harry. Ron, Hermione and Draco had had enough of catching him when he fell off his broomstick, picking him up off the ground when he tripped for no reason, and sopping spilled pumpkin juice from the front of his robes.

Muriel spent the time between Easter holiday and the end of year exams thinking hard about what to do with Draco. In the end, she'd decided the best place for him was Hogwarts, though he'd likely visit at Grimmauld place when the rest came at the end of the summer. She'd already spoken to the headmaster about it, but there was someone else who ought to know.

"Severus, I think Draco ought to stay here with you for the summer," she began without preamble as she entered the potions classroom after lunch one hot afternoon.

He regarded her shrewdly, not quite straightening his back in the chair. "You understand that I'll likely be quite busy with the Order." It wasn't a question.

"We all will, Sev, but Headquarters is a zoo with everyone coming and going."

"And?" Severus smirked at the discomfort that his tone caused. For as long as they'd been friends, she still was not completely impervious to his cruel demeanor.

Muriel sat down heavily on the first student desk, shrugging off her teaching robes and pulling her legs up by her ankles. He would recognize that posture anywhere. Something about this situation had her very upset. Before he'd registered it, he spoke again. "Why can't he stay at Headquarters, Mur?" His voice was far too gentle, and he scowled a little, his eyes darting to the door to make sure no one had heard.

"Lucius is still running around causing trouble – "

"Lucius can't reach him there anymore than he could here, Mur." He cut her off with an impatient wave of his hand, looking back down at his papers. An instant later, her fist came down on the paper he was looking at, making him jump.

"DAMN IT, SEVERUS! Don't you act like you aren't interested in what I'm saying. You watched that boy grow up, and if you don't love him, then I don't know you!"

Nothing could have been more telling than the uncomfortable silence that followed this outburst. "Furthermore," she continued, quietly and formally, "You ought to know by now that the act you put on doesn't work with me." She flicked her wand toward the classroom door, which slammed shut. "Now, do you think you could go back to acting like my best friend?"

"You win, Mur. I'll keep Draco here, but I'd like to know why." The tone of his voice had changed, and he'd finally met her eyes. She smiled.

"Of course. You need to understand that Lucius is a monster. The things he's done shouldn't be mentioned in front of a sixteen year old, particularly one who's already been overexposed to the Dark Arts." Severus nodded in agreement. No one knew better than he, just what Lucius had spent his time in the Dark Lord's service doing. "If Lucius is active this summer, his name will be mentioned repeatedly at Grimmauld Place. I don't think Draco should have to hear it."

Severus was contemplating this silently. "There's one other thing." Mur took a letter out of her robe pocket and put it down on the desk before resuming her seat. "I think Lucius might already be aware that you're a double agent."

"WHAT?" He snatched up the letter quickly and perused it. "I never asked for these items," he whispered, glancing over the second page before whipping it behind the first and reading the letter a second time.

"I thought as much. That's Lucius' way of asking for our help with Draco. He had to send it, but he must have known Draco would ignore it, after all, the boy hadn't come home last summer, or even communicated with them previous to that. Lucius found out I was here, and sent this hoping that Draco would put himself in my care. I sent the items as a way to tell him I understood. I didn't dare send a note, since I didn't know who else was there."

Silence reigned in the potions classroom for some time as Snape read and reread the letter, trying to puzzle out exactly what Lucius meant by it all. It wasn't exactly proof positive that his cover was blown, but Lucius of all people would know that Severus was on Mur's side in every fight, even this one. He wished the slippery fellow had never asked him about Mur's return. He was still wondering how he'd found out she was back in the first place. Finally he ceased his pacing and turned to Muriel, who'd been watching patiently the entire time. "I'll speak with Mr. Malfoy," he said quietly, "but I still don't trust him."

"Me neither," Mur agreed dryly, hoping down from the bench. "I'll be spending some time in America this summer, gathering my things and saying goodbye. I'd ask you to go along, but it looks like you've got your hands full." She grinned at the sour expression on his face.

"Taking Black with you then?"

Her grin fell away as quickly as it had come. "I don't think so. We can't seem to get along without Remus to run interference. Besides, I don't think he'd like Jas very much, and I've got to see him before I can come back." She'd told Severus all about her adventures, or misadventures, with her partner, Jas, during their Sunday evening talks. "I'm sure he'll ignore me until I've sufficiently embarrassed myself in front of the others to warrant forgiving," she commented, grinning. Then she took his hands and pulled him into an impromptu jitterbug down the isle of the classroom.

He laughed heartily as she sang, _"Wake me up before you go go!"._ When they reached the back of the room, a whisper caught their ears and they turned to see the entire fourth year potions class peeking hesitantly through the door. Instantly Professor Snape was back in form.

"What are you waiting for? Take your seats," he barked. "We'll be working on a laughing potion today, the instructions are on the board." Mur winked at him and he smirked in response as she made her way toward the door. Just a few more days of exams and she'd be free!

The students climbed onto the train, talking and laughing, and trying not to think of what a difficult summer it would be without each other, when Ron noticed that Draco had hung back. He was standing at the platform, looking longingly after them. Ron poked Harry in the back, and Harry, turning, pulled Hermione back to the door. "Malfoy, come on, the train's leaving." But Draco was shaking his head. It was then that Professor Snape arrived. To Harry's knowledge, Snape had never come down to the train to see the students off. He put a hand on Draco's shoulder, and Harry understood: Draco was staying at Hogwarts with Professor Snape for the summer.

"We'll send you lots of owls," they called, waving, as the train started to move. The conductor closed their door, so they ran to their compartment and hung out the windows, waving until Snape and Draco were out of sight.

A/N: Yes, I have written a sequel! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Oh, and if you'd like to see the reunion scene with her partner (who I'm sure you have a very odd impression of, considering his implied taste in music), stick around for the Interlude, which will post as an epilogue to this story and serve as a teaser for the next, The Men of the Order vs. Venus, which will be uploading shortly.


	21. Interlude

**Interlude**

"If you laugh at me, or so much as THINK about telling anyone about this, Moony, you'll find yourself on the receiving end of a permanent tickling hex cast in a very embarrassing place. And I will NOT be supplying you with the counter curse." Mur's voice was threatening, but her gray eyes glistened more brightly than the gleaming porcelain tiled floors.

Remus nodded absently as he looked around. They'd just flooed to the Washington D.C. Aurors' Headquarters, where Mur had spent the better part of 15 years working, and he was anxious to see where and how she'd spent the time. He wasn't sure exactly what she had planned, only that she'd hinted that her partner might need some convincing to forgive her for such a long absence.

He glanced at her again when he'd taken the measure of the building. Four stories of balcony could be seen to enclose the rectangular hall they stood in, and she was grinning impishly as she gazed at a door on the fourth floor. It was open. "He's here, then?" Remus asked.

"Oh yes. He's definitely up there. With any luck, he'll just laugh his ass off, collect whatever bet money Johnson put down against me coming back, and forget that I never even wrote him this last year." She grimaced, knowing that last part to be unlikely. Still, it was worth a try. She winked at Remus, then cast a Sonorous Charm on herself. Remus gaped as she did the last thing he expected. Muriel Deesia broke into song.

_**You put the boom boom into my heart,  
You send my soul sky-high when your lovin' starts.  
Jitterbug into my brain,  
Goes bang bang bang till my feet do the same. **_

But something's bugging me  
Something ain't right  
My best friend told me  
What you did last night.

Left me sleeping  
In my bed.  
I was dreaming  
But I should've been with you instead.

Wake me up before you go go,  
Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo.  
Wake me up before you go go,  
I don't wanna miss it when you hit that high  
Wake me up before you go go,  
'Cause I'm not planning on going solo.  
Wake me up before you go go,  
Take me dancing tonight.

Almost instantly heads began appearing out of office doors, followed swiftly by entire bodies. Mur spotted Johnson rolling his eyes before heading back to his desk to get his money. He owed quite a lot this time. One office door remained empty, however, and her eyes kept drifting back to it. Would Jas feel that she'd sufficiently humiliated herself to make up for a year's disappearance? He was normally pretty forgiving, but she wondered if this time he wouldn't try to make her squirm.

When she reached the line "Take me dancing tonight." She motioned to Remus to end the enchantment, which he did. "He knows I can't hit this next note," she whispered breathlessly.

Remus had managed halfway through to close his mouth, and his eyes were once again a normal size. He could hardly believe that his usually rather decorous friend had just belted a pop song in the Auror's headquarters for all to hear. But then, the nervous grin that graced her features as she waited for some response from her partner was just as disconcerting. He shook his head and remained silent. Several beats passed, then an answering baritone voice rang out.

_**I wanna hit that high...**_

And before them appeared one of the cleanest, best-dressed men Remus had ever laid eyes on. He raised an eyebrow in an unconscious imitation of Snape as the impossibly blond man danced casually toward them, still singing.

_**You get the gray skies outta my way,  
You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day.  
Turn a bright spark into a flame,  
My beats per minute never been the same. **_

'Cause you're my lady,

(Here, Jas offered Mur a hand, and she took it.)

_**I'm your fool. **_

(Here he pulled her very close then swung her away again expertly. They fell into the familiar dance pattern as money changed hands on all four floors above them. Remus just shook his head. He'd known Mur liked to dance, but this was something else.)

_**Makes me crazy  
When you act so cruel. **_

C'mon baby,  
Let's not fight.  
We'll go dancing  
And everything will be alright.

Very suddenly, Jas stopped singing. He pulled Mur in from her twist with a bit more force than she'd expected, and wrapped his arms around her so she couldn't get away. "Where the hell've you been, Beautiful?" He was still very angry, and her ploy hadn't entirely worked. The trespass was forgiven but not yet forgotten.

"Home."

Jas spared a glance for Mur's companion, still keeping her trapped in his arms, not that she was resisting. "That's got to be Remus." It wasn't a question, but Mur nodded. "Good!" Jas exclaimed. Before she quite knew what he was about, he'd captured her lips with the familiarity of a longtime lover, though they'd never been. He was careful as always, however, to keep his tongue to himself. She could feel his amusement and desperately wished she could see Moony's face, but Jas wasn't letting her go.

When he finally pulled his mouth away from hers, Mur got a look at Remus. He'd averted his eyes when everyone above them began to clap and whistle. Johnson was the first to apparate to the ground floor to welcome her, but Mur wasn't done teasing Remus yet. She grinned up at Jas for a moment before snaking an arm around his neck and kissing him again. This time the whistling was accompanied by catcalls and thrown pennies. They pulled apart quickly.

"You two are something else, I'll say," Johnson exclaimed, pressing a fifty dollar bill into Jas' hand. Jas just grinned and pocketed it. Mur shook the older man's hand. She lost track of Remus as her old co-workers surrounded her, but Jas kept an eye on him. He looked pissed.

Jas slipped away as the boss man approached, probably to find out if Deesia was staying. "Hey dude," he said by way of greeting. His voice was easy going and friendly as he held out a hand.

Remus turned from the water fountain he'd been using and looked Jas over once again, not shaking his hand. But before he could say anything, Mur appeared beside Jas, who turned to look at her. He caught her worry over Remus' anger, and decided the game had gone too far. But he wasn't willing to let go of the lighthearted mood they'd managed thus far, so he simply started a new game.

"What've you brought me, Beautiful? He's a pretty one, isn't he?" Jas winked at her and Mur's face took on a horrified expression. She shook her head ever so slightly, but he ignored the warning. Most of their co-workers had disapparated back to their offices. Jas flashed her a grin before turning back to Remus and putting a hand to his light brown hair. "I usually find my own boyfriends, but I've got to admit you've got excellent taste."

Mur took Remus' hand with a furious look at Jas, and pulled her friend around to face her. He looked confused, but realization was beginning to dawn. She needed to do something quickly. If he acted too revolted, Jas would be hurt, and for all she knew, they might really make a scene.

She looked over Remus' shoulder. Jas was watching the emotions play across her face with interest. "Are you going to take me dancing tonight or what?" she asked him in a mockingly stern voice. She was smirking at them both, and Remus blinked at her twice more before he opened his mouth. No sound came out.

"Course I am, Beautiful. I'll take you dancing whenever you want, you know that. Come on to the pad and we'll find you both something to wear." He disapparated without another word, and Remus turned to look at the place he'd stood, finally finding his voice.

"So he's – "

Mur cut him off. "Yes."

"And he thinks you brought me here to – "

"No. That was just his way of telling you that what you saw was an act." She smirked again as Remus blinked at her.

"So you're not – "

"No. Jas is just a good friend."

"Then he knows – "

"YES," Mur cut him off again, finally becoming impatient. "What he doesn't know is what the hell's taking us so long. Are you finished?"

Finally Remus smiled tentatively. "You've GOT to introduce him to – "

"NO!" Mur said emphatically. "Now are you coming?" Remus nodded. They linked arms and disappeared, reappearing an instant later in Mur and Jas' apartment.

Jas was humming to himself as he rummaged through his clothes. "Are we cool?" he shouted when he heard them arrive. Mur looked at Remus, who shrugged.

"Nearly," she answered. Jas came out of his room with a pair of black leather pants and a brown shirt with raggedly cut tank sleeves. He threw them at Remus, who caught them easily.

"Does he at least know I'm not going to jump him?" he asked, then he added, winking roguishly, "or you?"

"I think we've covered that," Mur answered, rolling her eyes.

"Good, I'm prowling tonight and I don't want to be distracted," was his flippant response. Jas dodged the playful hex Mur sent at him and laughed. He was already dressed in the skin tight dragon hide trousers that Muriel had bought him for Christmas a few years previous and a cream shirt that showed off his muscles to best advantage. It was going to be an interesting night.

Mur was acutely aware that Remus was becoming uncomfortable, though as usual his emotions were veiled. Gryffindors were just so OBVIOUS about such things. "Let me grab something to wear, and then you can change in my room, Moony," she said, trying to be generous.

"Where will you change?" he asked immediately, his eyes on Jas. It was clear that he still didn't trust this man with his best mate's girl. The partners exchanged an amused glance, but Mur suddenly realized that this was going to take some explaining. Unfortunately this wasn't the time. She shook her head and went into her room to change, finding it exactly as she'd left it. Her trunk was still packed for the trip they'd been planning to try and free Sirius. Her radio was still tuned to the WWN in England. Her flasks of memory potion were still lined up neatly on the window seat that overlooked the dirty alley below. The box of undelivered letters still sat collecting dust on the floor of her closet.

She chose a blue suede mini skirt and a black top, charmed on a pair of hose and her black heels, and spelled her hair into a wispy knot on top of her head. She glanced quickly in the mirror and grinned. Remus was going to have a heart attack. For a moment she thought about changing her bra so it wouldn't make such a spectacle of her cleavage, but then decided against it. After all, Jas had taken a whole day off with her a few years back to help her pick out the damned thing. The least she could do was wear it once!

She emerged to find Remus already changed. The brown tank looked good on him, but she could tell that he felt self-conscious. The scars on his arms, usually hidden by traditional robes, stood out starkly in this outfit. He seemed to forget his discomfort, however, when his eyes fell on her. "Sweet Merlin!" he exclaimed. "Where's the camera?"

Jas and Mur both ignored him. "Where to then?" Mur asked.

"The muggle place, I think. No apparation point, but that's cool. The boss man let me keep the convertible, so we'll drive. On the way, you can tell me why you brought wolfie here instead of Sirius Black." Jas' demeanor had changed as surely as Mur's clothing. Mur narrowed her eyes. Something had been said while she was changing. They left the apartment in silence.

"How'd you know?" Remus asked quietly as they climbed into the car.

"The eyes. They're an impossible color of brown. And the scars. Definitely better go to the muggle joint." Jas was speaking more to Mur than to Remus.

The drive was spent listening to the radio, which Jas kept too loud to allow for talking anyway. Questions were firing back and forth between his mind and Mur's, but she wasn't answering. Remus would need to hear this conversation to understand. Jas nodded in response to that thought, and rather than turning onto the street he'd intended, he drove another two blocks and stopped at the local coffee shop. "Will this do?" he asked aloud as he turned off the engine.

Mur nodded. Remus, more confused now than he'd ever been, followed them into the place and ordered something to drink. He had a feeling he'd missed a great deal during that drive.

"Alright, then, spill it," Jas said when the waitress had taken their orders and left.

"Sirius is free. He escaped a few years ago all by himself. How we missed that on the WWN, I'll never know. Severus is safe and working at Hogwarts. Remus here disappeared for a few years. The Potter boy was left with muggle relatives. But he's at Hogwarts now, and the war's in full swing again, just like when I left." She faltered, wondering what else he'd want to know.

Jas smiled. "But what I really want to know is: When's the wedding?" Mur looked at Remus, who looked away. Then she cast her eyes down at the table.

"I'm not sure there's going to be one, Jas," she whispered.

This statement was greeted with silence as Jas processed all the reasons why that might be the case. "Did the dementors drive him crazy?" he asked finally, his voice gentle.

"No." It was Remus who provided this answer, as Mur appeared very interested in the table. The waitress reappeared and set down their drinks, then bustled away. "He's as sane as he ever was, if that's saying anything. Just angry and stubborn."

Mur could feel Jas starting to lose his temper. She looked up just in time to see his fist hit the table. "What the hell is there to be angry about? She spent every waking moment thinking of ways to break him out of Azkaban! Every year we used up all our vacation time galavanting around Europe trying to find you, or Severus, or Lucius, or whoever! She gave up the most notorious capture we were ever offered because she was trying to learn how to defeat the dementors! Every evening she wrote letters half a mile long to one of you, or to the ministry, or to SOMEBODY, trying to find a way to get him freed, and for WHAT?!

"Jas!" Mur exclaimed heatedly.

"NO, Beautiful, that's just stupid! You waited around for him all that time and now he doesn't WANT you back? WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT – "

"ENOUGH!" Mur jumped from her seat. Remus was swallowing his own angry retort as her eyes flashed. He watched the two face each other, and was surprised when Mur's hand came out of her pocket without her wand. She sat down slowly, then closed her eyes. Jas reached across the table and took her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles.

"You deserve better," he whispered.

"And I suppose you think you're it?" Remus asked scathingly.

"At least I've never turned her away!" Jas exclaimed.

"Oh, please, you two!" Mur hastily wiped her eyes. "Remus, Jas has been a great friend to me. He's put up with me disappearing from work for months at a time to try and get home, he's helped me plan and come up with ideas for how to infiltrate Azkaban. He's comforted me when the pain of it all was so much that I could barely go on, and – "

"Yes, we need to talk about that as well," Jas interjected ominously.

Mur looked back to him. "There's nothing to say. It's all yours. Don't ask me again." A surprised look crossed his face, but he could feel that she was not going to discuss it, so he nodded. Remus tried not to look confused.

"And Jas, you need to realize that Remus and Sirius have been friends since they were 11. It's natural for them to look after one another's interests. If he's jealous on Sirius' behalf, that only means that he thinks Sirius will change his mind and decide that he wants me back after all. I can't help but take that as encouragement."

Jas was shaking his head in regret. He should have realized that Remus would react the way he did. But Remus, still far more annoyed than Mur had ever seen him, took this as disbelief.

"Is it so hard to believe that I might have friends? That I might know how to care about someone? You think these scars mean that I'm incapable of emotion, or that I'm somehow less than human?" He kept his voice low. No sense in scaring the muggles, after all.

This, of course, was not at all what Jas thought, and his eyes widened in surprise. But his hesitation was enough to set Remus off again. The evening would have ended right there if Mur hadn't put a restraining hand on his shoulder and kept him from rising. "No one here thinks any such thing, Moony, and you know it! Jas has been listening to me talk about you for half our lives. He recognized you at the Aurory BECAUSE he could see you were a werewolf. If that had mattered to him, I'm sure he wouldn't have spoken to you at all. And you'll recall that he WAS trying to be friendly before I interrupted."

Remus nodded grudgingly. They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments, the tea going a long way to smooth ruffled feathers. After the waitress had refreshed Jas' coffee, Mur asked, "Have they been able to hold Sineath?"

"So far so good," Jas answered. "He's still ranting about what he's going to do to you when he gets out, though." Jas paused, then turned to Remus. He figured that if this guy was the stand-in for Sirius Black today, he owed him an explanation. "Mur and I used to have a really interesting Modus Operandi. We tracked down the younger generation of dark wizards, a lot of whom frequent the kind of place we're going later." He looked to Mur to confirm that this was still the plan and she nodded.

"We'd come in and dance for a few hours, pretend to make out, then have an impressive fight. She'd throw the suspect's drink in my face and shatter his glass. Then after I left, she'd offer to buy him a new one. That's where the kissing comes from. You get pretty familiar when you're doing that all the time." Jas paused, waiting for some sign of acceptance from Remus. He got none.

"Anyway, it worked like a charm every time, and Sineath was no exception. Only he knew her. – You didn't mention that to me, by the way, when you looked at the case file," he added. Mur shrugged.

"Nothing much mattered to me just then," she said vaguely, sipping her tea.

"Right," he answered, knowing that topic was off-limits. "The point is that I kissed her because that's what we do. Lips only, I swear, and I generally kept my hands where they belonged. It's an act, and she set down the rules with Sirius Black in mind."

"If I were Sirius Black you would already be dead." Remus replied, but the hardness had gone from his eyes. He was shaking his head.

"I would have brought him along if he could just stand to be around me without picking a fight," Mur said defensively.

"And I wouldn't have so much as touched her if he'd been along," Jas agreed, his tone finally back to the devil-may-care flippancy that Mur was accustomed to. She shot him a grateful glance as he plunked some money down on the table and stood. "Now. Are we going dancing or aren't we?" His grin was infectious, and Mur took the hand he offered, and offered hers to Remus in return.

Remus took the curious stares of the more observant muggles very well. It wasn't as if anyone would recognize him for what he was at a place like this. Jas had brought the traditional bottle of firewhiskey, and for once he got to drink some of it as well. It was nearly 3am when they made their way back to the apartment, laughing.

"You do realize there's going to be an inquisition when I get home," Remus said, as he threw himself onto the couch. Mur and Jas came in behind him, leaning heavily on one another. Mur's eyes were nearly closed.

"'Course," Mur said. "He'd never bother to ask ME, after all, that would mean he'd have to actually SPEAK to me."

"He can talk to you just so long as you can avoid talking about Severus, America, Slytherins, and – well – everyone else you know, and everywhere you've ever been." Remus finished his sentence slowly. "Damn. I see your point."

Jas and Mur both giggled. "He'll come around," Jas said. "There's not a red blooded male on the planet who wouldn't be flattered by the kind of attention she paid him, even when he wasn't around." He hadn't had nearly as much firewhiskey as Mur and Remus, and was making much more sense. This statement, however, sobered Mur up a bit, or at least made her think seriously.

"He doesn't need to know all that. Remus, you aren't going to repeat a single WORD, do you hear me? That tickling hex is a BITCH and I mean it!"

"Sure, Mur. I'll just tell him your partner was a bald, hundred and ten year old Indian wizard who barely spoke English." At this they all laughed.

In the end, Jas carried Mur to her bed and tucked her in, then took Remus to his own bed and tucked him in. He parked himself on the couch, knowing that sleep was a long way off. He hadn't gotten all the answers he wanted, but there was always tomorrow. Mur said they could stay for a week before they had to return. She'd also absolutely forbid him to follow her back to England.

"The whole point of this war is keeping the people we care about safe, Jas," she'd said quickly while Remus headed to the bathroom. "Promise me you'll stay here?" He had promised, but extracted a promise from her as well. THIS time when she disappears, she'd better write!


End file.
